Sail On
by A Baker's Dozen
Summary: AU, NaLu with RoZo, weeklyish updates, set after the Alabasta Arc, Skypeia spoilers coming soon.  Rated T for mild romantic themes, swearing, minor violence, use of details, blah blah blah.  Enjoy! Chapter Five in the making, and I'm just warming up
1. Fine Print

**One Piece: Sail On (The Grand Line)**

**Disclaimer:** I'm only adding this once, you cocky lawyers, so listen... Err, read closely! I **DO NOT** own One Piece. Now that we have that out of the way... Sit back and enjoy the story. Or don't... Sit back, that is.

**Author's Note:** I'll keep these short, folks, so you won't be reading what's on my mind more than you'll be reading my story. But, as they say, behind every great novel there's an author (be he sane or insane) and this work also abides by that rule ("great" being a matter of opinion, of course). I was sitting around at work, pretending I knew what I was doing, when this beast of a Sea Kin- err, story, sorry, surfaced above my "I'm a brainless grunt" train of thinking. I tried to just ignore it but alas, like a drunk driver following you down a deserted highway at 3 AM in the morning with his high-beams on, I couldn't quite escape it's allure. So, tuning out what I was supposed to be doing (not like I was tuned in in the first place, eh eh eh...) I thought about it. And thought. And thought. 3 weeks later, I get hired permanently (complete with a raise and medical benefits, yay!) and moved to an even less-engaging task (if that's possible...). So, now I have a bit more time to think about this whale of a tale (har har har) and I'm sure enough of what I have worked out to begin production. So, here it is!

PS: Let me tell you a bit about the story before we begin. It's an AU (alternate universe, yes-yes) set almost directly after the end of the Alabasta Arc, around the time the filler kicks in. Some of the dialog runs together (especially when all of the Straw Hats are together) so I'm just going to let you guys sort out who you think says what, I'll make it painfully obvious, trust me. And yes, there will be pairings, probably multiple ones by the time I'm in my prime, mostly Het, maybe some Yaoi thrown in to appease the Fangirl Gods. When these pairings will occur, and between whom, I do not know and can not say. Where this story is going, not even I know. But, it will get there, rest assured. I leave the rest to you, Constant Reader. Don't let the Straw Hats down.

**Chapter One: Fine Print  
**

It was just like nearly every other day at sea. The sun, riding high in the cloud-less sky, spread it's warmth across the great blue expanse as always. The waves lapping against the weathered hull of the Going Merry were more of an allure than an alarm, especially not in such gorgeous weather. But, alas, all joyous moments are meant to end sometime, and this one is not unlike the rest. As Nami basked in the mid-afternoon sun, the truth of this certainty struck home.

"That's more of a shrimp than a fish! Even Sanji'd have a hard time cooking that tiny little thing..."

"You didn't see it! I snagged this guy right out of a Sea King's mouth! I swear!"

"Really?! That's sooo coooool!!!"

Robin finally set her book aside, and glanced over at the three sitting on the port side of the ship. Usopp was proceeding to reminisce on one of his many battles with the giant, Calm Belt-oriented Sea Kings, while Chopper listened on, enraptured by Long Nose's tale of false bravado and out-of-proportion fighting skills. Luffy, his face drooping into somewhat of a pout, was busy staring at his make-shift bobber, hoping something nibbled. Chopper and Usopp had both caught something now, and although Usopp's fish had been not much larger than a guppie, at least it had been _something._ Turning to the right, Robin caught the swordsman, Zoro, staring at her, a mixture of guardedness and minor hostility openly evident on his face. She smiled sweetly, however, and shrugged her shoulders. "Is it always this noisy so early in the day?"

Zoro's eyebrow twitched, and the left corner of his mouth rose to a half-grin, half-sneer. "Yeah, you better get used to it, it's always this way. Just be glad that Nami's not up and about at the moment, or those would be howls of screaming, not laughter."

The newest addition to the crew laughed softly, and turned back to the book she had set down not a moment ago. Above them, the door to the kitchen/meeting quarters burst open, and Sanji strolled out, managing to balance two separate trays full of what appeared to be tropical punch. After climbing up to the upper deck to give Nami one of his special 'Sanji's Sweet n' Sour Seabreeze of Love™' tropical drinks, he leapt down to the lower deck and proceeded to pamper the other female of their crew in the same fashion, then told the rest of the assholes that they could have one too. Usopp and Chopper each snagged a glass, while the other two males ignored him completely. Luffy looked about ready to just give up on fishing altogether and request a brunch (breakfast was served less than an hour ago, but the Rubberman wasn't like most people when it came to meals) when he felt the pole shake in his hands, the bobber disappearing under the water as the line snapped taunt. Grunting, he leaned back and gave the pole a mighty heave, nearly folding the slim rod in two before letting off and reeling in the slack.

"Everyone, look! Luffy's got something!"

"Stand back! I'll show you the trick I used to capture that giant Sea Sna-"

"If it's bigger than Usopp's pathetic excuse of a fish, I'll fry it up in some peanut oil for lunch"

As Luffy's mouth filled with saliva at the thought of how good Sanji's cooking would taste, he yanked once more, and the catch of a century rocketed out of the water, heading straight for the Going Merry. Quick reflexes saved the captain from potential injury: Usopp, standing directly beside him and trying to demonstrate some sort of reeling motion with his foot and both hands, wasn't so lucky. The... fish... flew straight into the teller of tall tales, sending him somersaulting backwards, straight into the mast of the ship. As the... thing... hit the deck, so did Usopp.

"I've never seen a fish with such odd markings before..."

"Can we eat it?! Can we?? Please!?"

"Usopp! Usopp, are you alright?? SOMEBODY CALL A DOCTOR, QUICK!"

"Oi, oi, that's you, baka."

"What. The. Hell. Are. You. People. Doing?" a chilling voice inquired, coming from somewhere near the mandarin orange tree grove. Everyone shut up immediately. The only sounds one could catch were the noise of the waves slapping the sides of the ship, and Luffy moaning in anticipation as to how the strange... fish would taste. Nami deftly lept down onto the upper deck and leaned over the railing, her eyes colder than the deepest depths of all four oceans. Luffy looked up towards her, a goofy grin stuck to his face.

"Heya, Nami! Look, I caught a fish! Heheheh..." their captain proclaimed proudly, poking the 'fish' with one of his fingers. "I bet it tastes goooood"

The girl being addressed shook her head in disbelief. "That's not a fish, baka. It looks more like a trea...Treasure... Chest." Nami's eyes sparkled like newly formed coins in the sun, and her nakama let out a sigh of relief. Greedy, selfish Nami was much, much better than Angry Nami. By an unspeakable margin.

Luffy eyed his catch, scratching his head in confusion. "But, I caught it with a fishing pole..."

"It was probably in an old shipwreck below us... I bet it's filled with treasure!" Nami exclaimed, leaping over the edge of the railing and onto the lower area. Her eyes were still glued to the chest, which now seemed to be utterly _huge_ up close.

Robin set her book down once again, and walked over to the chest that the group had gathered around (everyone save for Usopp, that is, who appeared to be unconscious on the deck still). Sliding in besides the swordsman and the captain, she proceeded to kneel down to better examine the fish-turned-treasure. "The box is in near perfect condition, so it must not have been down there more than one month or so. Notice the lack of barnacles?" she pointed out, looking up at Zoro, who simply nodded.

"B-but... Is it edible?" Luffy questioned nervously, nibbling on his lower lip in anticipation.

"Baka!" Nami replied, reaching over to push his straw hat down over his face. "Sanji, please go cook him up a snack, if he eats any of the treasure in this baby I'll gut him like a fish". Sanji nodded, and headed back up to the kitchen. "Robin-chan, could you please open it? Pretty-please?"

The archaeologist-turned-pirate nodded, and walked away, returning moments later with a small chisel and hammer. "Even if it's only been in the sea a short time, the lock mechanism must already be crusted over with minerals, giving us only two means of opening it: finesse and force." Robin looked up to Zoro again, and smiled. "Sorry, but I don't trust you boys enough to slash and punch at what may be a fine piece of history."

"The feeling's mutual" Zoro grumbled, and turned around to head back to his usual napping spot. She watched him leave, then turned back to the task at hand. "A little pressure here, a few taps there... And that should be it."

"Robin-chan, you're the greatest!" Nami practically squealed, leaning over briefly to cling to the older girl, who looked slightly distraught at being attacked in such a manner. It was short-lived, though, as Nami immediately diverted her attention back to the still-unopened chest before her. "Please be jewels... Please be jewels..." she chanted under her breath as she grabbed the lid. Pushing slightly, the lid refused to budge, so Nami threw her back into it, pushing upward with all her might. The chest lid sprung open with a loud _pop!_, sending her tumbling over the top of the now-open chest, straight into Luffy. If the hat wasn't still covering his face, he may have made it out of the way in time. However, it wasn't. And he didn't. When the dust settled, Nami found herself straddling Luffy's chest, panting in exertion, while he mewled in pain at having the back of his head slammed onto the hard wooden deck without warning. "What's in it?!" Nami panted, straining to look over the lid she had just flown over. "It's so heavy, it must be a sack of gol-"

"It's a book" Robin stated, reaching into the chest herself. Indeed, what she lifted out was a book, a thick one at that. But, she noticed something wrong immediately. "It's a book... That's missing pages?"

Nami managed to get her elbows up over the top of the chest, not even bothering to apologize to Luffy for sitting on him. "That's not a book, it's a ship log. I have one somewhere in my study area for the Going Merry, actually." Her eyes stopped shining, while her mouth took on a pouting expression not much different than Luffy's. "It's not jewels, though..."

"Let's see what this one says before we toss it back into the sea" Robin suggested, gently opening the cover. Indeed, nearly all the pages had been ripped out: only a few remained at the end, and of those few, only one had any writing on it. Clearing her throat, Robin began to read...

_The Rainwaver_

_Date: Unknown_

_We arrived at this uncharted island nearly three weeks ago, and are now getting ready to finally set sail for our homeland, Alabasta. The men are all homesick, and although this island is hospitable enough, something about it sets the mind on edge, gets on the nerves, gives you the heeby-geebies, ect., ect. We appear to be the only human habitants, which is odd enough. Most islands on the Grand Line have some form of civilization, and those that don't stick out like a sore thumb. The food supply is moderate, there appears to be no real carnivores here, yet... That doesn't explain some of the remains my men have stumbled across in their explorations. Some of the bones they have 'recovered' (tripped over is more like it, I would say) were badly ravaged, with tooth marks being the most prominent feature. I'd hate to think of what kind of creature could bite into a mammal's femur hard enough to leave an array of cracks and bite marks. I have told my scouts to go to the other makeshift camps, to tell the other men of my plans to leave this next morning. The king should be pleased at our find, perhaps even enough to award me with a promotion, maybe even a spot in the Royal Army if I'm lucky. Anyways, enough babbling, I can hear the men approaching through the woods now. One last thing... Something strange happens every once and a while. The wind here dies down, all the fauna grows silent, and if you listen closely, you can almost hear the trees moan their secret songs of growing. Here it is now..._

_Captain of the Rainwaver,_

_Gustav Stark_

Robin finished the tale, taking a sip of punch to ease her dry throat. "I remember reading about that ship in the Royal Library. It was sent east, to seek out new supply routes during the droughts, but never returned."

Nami glanced at the Log Pose wrapped securely around her wrist. "Well, it's giving us a east-southeast heading right now... Who knows, maybe the island he was talking about is our next stop!"

The archaeologist smiled softly. "It sounds pretty interesting. I wouldn't mind exploring it, and if there's still plenty of food, we could stock up as well."

Luffy finally managed to stand up, pulling his straw hat off his face with a small _pop!_ "Yosh! Set course for... Mystery Island!!" he declared, pumping both fists into the air. "Sanji, pack us all lunches!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get right on it."

"G-guys... Usopp s-still isn't moving!"

"..."

"He's just being lazy, like Zoro always is."

"Shut up, pirate thief."

"Do you really want to die?!"

"You do seem to nap a considerable amount of time, Mister Bushido."

"Hmph..."

_-Several hours later-_

The Going Merry had finally found what appeared to be the island mentioned by the _Rainwaver,_ and Nami had been right: The Log Pose had led them almost directly to it, quivering slightly in it's glass cage as they neared the shoreline. After dropping anchor, most of the crew had disembarked (Zoro was amazingly still asleep, even during their landing) and were all now standing on a sandy beach, trying to figure out what to do next. Sanji had suggested they search for food immediately, seeing as their stores had grown quite low since leaving Alabasta (Luffy blamed it on ghosts: no one was fooled). Usopp and Chopper both wanted to stay behind and guard the ship, each managing to come up with excuses more exaggerated and ridiculous than the last. And Luffy... Seemed not to care, as he was running up and down the beach, shouting happily about an adventure. Nami, of course, took charge immediately.

"Not all of you can stay behind and guard the Going Merry. Robin's the only one here I trust enough not to snoop around my stuff: Zoro never really left, so those two can stay behind."

"A-alright..."

"But, Nami! She's from Baroque Works! What if... She sabotages the ship?!"

Nami ignored them both. "Now, let's see... I want to chart out the island's topography. So, who gets to come help me haul stuff around?"

"I'll do it, Nami-swan!!!" Sanji's eyes lit up, imagining a day alone with the female navigator.

"No. You need to find us some food, so you can make me a wonderful dinner, alright? Pwease?"

"For you, anything! Come on, you two grunts" Sanji gestured at Usopp and their reindeer/human nakama, lighting up a cigarette and taking a deep drag. "I'll need help carrying all the supplies back."

"That's settled. Now, that leaves me with... Luffy! GET THE HELL OVER HERE! And for the love of God, NO I DO NOT WANT TO SEE THE CRAB!" Nami screamed down the beach, pinching the bridge of her nose. _This is going to be a long, long day_ she thought despairingly. Little did she know, her premonition wasn't that far off the mark. Not too far at all.

* * *

Luffy trudged along the small game path trailing through the woods, staggering every now and then from the weight of the immense pack strapped to his back. "Namiiiii... Are we there yet?" 

The girl in question gritted her teeth: this would be the 8th time she answered that very question, and they were barely even halfway done with the trip. "No, we're not Luffy. No, no, no, no. Ask me one more damn time, and I won't let you have any of the picnic lunch I had Sanji pack for me. Got that?"

The young pirate grinned from ear to ear, and quickly nodded. "Yosh! Lunch is coming , lunch is coming!" He managed to pick up his pace, and soon enough disappeared from her view. _Well, at least that gets him out of my hair for the moment_ Nami grinned, glancing around the leafy forest, finally managing to hear some of the wildlife nearby. _This path should lead us straight to the spot I saw... Thank God I'm not with Zoro, he'd have gotten us lost already_. Suddenly, she heard Luffy shout out, and nodded happily. He must have come across the clearing.

A minute later, she made it there herself, and found him sprawled out in the ankle-high grass, her equipment setting beside him. The clearing they had come to was a decent size, perhaps ten yards long and fifteen yards wide. It was nestled up against of of the hills jutting up out of the island, and being above the lower tree level, gave them a good view of nearly three sides of the island. Nami smiled, patting herself on the back for noticing such a quiet spot to begin her charting from.

"What do you want me to do now, Nami?"

She took off her own backpack, much lighter than the large one, and tossed it to him. "The picnic stuff's in there, so maybe you could get it all spread out? And don't you dare start eating without me!" She shook her fist: whenever you gave Luffy anything that had food in it, you had to make sure he knew it wasn't all his, or you'd never see it again. Nami learned that lesson the hard way.

"I-i wouldn't... Honest!" Luffy nodded, already unzipping the pack to see what Sanji had made them. She knew she was risking going hungry by letting him set up their little feast, but if she didn't start drawing a map of the island soon, they'd be up here all night, with the bugs and the wild animals and the bats...! Shuddering, Nami rushed over to begin her work.

Several hours passed by without notice, and Nami only stopped working when she realized that it had already started to cool down as the sun got lower in the sky. Walking over to her pack to pull out the sweater she had brought, Nami finally noticed her captain. "Oh... Luffy."

He had gotten everything out, and had even spread the blanket out on the ground before setting down all the food. He had prepared a plate for her, even remembering to give her silverware instead of implying that she follow his usual 'just eat it with your bare hands' philosophy. His plate had remained untouched, and as she saw him lying there snoring, she felt that warm, familiar tugging in her chest. _He waited for me. _She smiled, and after grabbing a small blanket out of her backpack, she silently made her way over the picnic spread, finally making it to Luffy's side. Plopping down beside him, Nami never took her eyes off his peaceful, sleeping face as she shook the blanket out and covered him from head to toe with it. Luffy always looked completely at ease when he slept: no matter what the circumstances, he seemed to be having the time of his life while out cold. She had spent most of her time those three days after Crocodile was defeated helping Chopper tend to Luffy's prone form, his body cut, bruised, cracked and crushed from his fight with the monster. Not once did she see him frown or cry out during his rest. Below the noise of the local woodland creatures and various birds in the forest nearby, she could even hear his light snores.

"Nami..." Nami looked down, and wasn't surprised to see Luffy still deep asleep, mumbling her name out of reflex alone. "Thank... You."

She blushed, and after a moment of indecisiveness, reached beneath the covers and in no time at all found his hand, still slack from sleep. "You're welcome" Nami whispered back, closing her eyes and wrapping her fingers in his own, giving them a brief squeeze. However, her joy was short: a moment later, the once-prone hand squeezed back. Her eyes shot open, and the first thing they saw were Luffy's own eyes, now open and awake and _aware._

"Nani? Why are you holding my hand?"

She felt like she was going to die from embarrassment. Now that he was awake, their fingers still hadn't separated, and Nami began to notice, for the first time really, how warm and soft his hand was, despite all his fighting. The callouses were right at home, and even seemed to compliment, the smooth parts of his palm. Nami blushed deeper, and finally managed to release her hand from his, mumbling a stream of "Sorry, sorry, sorry"s as she stumbled off to her work area.

Luffy sat still for a moment, then turned his head to the right to watch Nami go about her work, noticing how her hands were trembling and she was blushing still. His right hand felt unusually warm, and he brought it up before his face to make sure nothing had bitten it or set it on fire. After assuring himself that it was just a Mystery Feeling, Luffy lowered his palm to his nose and took a deep breath. Like the other nights that he had woken up with this phenomenon, his hand smelled faintly of oranges.

As he contemplated what could make his body parts smell edible, Luffy felt something stiff poking into his back, a rigid object that he hadn't noticed sticking up out of the ground near the edge of the picnic blanket. Reaching behind him, he stretched his arm at an impossible angle behind his own back, his fingers probing along the cool dirt. A moment later, they found the object, and with a swift tug, brought it out.

"Hey, Nami! Look at the stick I found! Heheh..."

Nami let out a sigh of relief: It seemed that instead of dwelling on their 'encounter', her captain had turned his mind elsewhere. "Not now, I have to get this map finished before all the bugs and b-bats come out" she shuddered again, imagining the hillside swarming with the flying rodents.

"But, it looks so coool" Luffy whine-pouted, trying the attract her attention. "It's all white, and it has a skinny middle and these bulges at the ends..."

"There's no such thing as a white stick, baka" she teased, drawing a few quick lines on one sheet of map paper before moving on. "It's probably just a rock, or a fossil, or a..." Nami stopped, and slowly turned around, her eyes squinting closely at the 'stick' Luffy was waving around. "Oh God! It's a bone! Where the hell did you find that?! Throw it away! NOW!!!"

He stared at her as if she was out of her mind. "Nami, they're all over the place, of course it's a stick. Look, there's a big round one by your foot!"

_No..._ She looked down, and sure enough, the remains of a human skull were showing through the dirt near her left foot. Shrieking, Nami hop-spun away from it. "W-where did these all come from?! What are they doing here??"

"They were here when we got here, I saw em right away. Why, what's so wrong about white sticks? See, they even make funny noises when you smack them together!" Luffy reached down, grabbed what appeared to be a leg bone, and brought it up sharply, slamming the two pieces together. A loud _crack!_ resounded through the woods nearby, as the bones themselves snapped in half from the impact, resulting in Luffy falling over in surprise. "Oops, that was a little too hard! Heheheh..."

"Luffy, this is no laughing..." Nami stopped, and turned her head to one side. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Luffy responded, looking baffled. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly. Where's the birds? The random animals? I could barely hear you sno- I mean, hear myself think, a minute ago!" Nami twirled around, trying to to peer into the darkening canopy around her. "Where are you, you damn birds?!"

Deep in the hillside, somewhere above their current position, a long, deep moan sounded. It stretched out to an inhuman length, then finally faded away, leaving an unbearable silence in it's place.

"That's it, pack up. I'm tired and I want to get back to the ship. _Now._"

"Yosh!" Luffy nodded, and began to put away the picnic he had so carefully laid out.

Ten minutes later, and they were moving back through the forest again. But, all was not well. One point of conflict was the fact that Nami had no idea where they were going. She thought they had followed the trail they had taken in, but nothing looked familiar, nothing at all. Being a navigator gave her an advantage over most pirates: her sense of direction was undefeatable on the open seas. Neither cyclones nor changing seasons had ever truly affected her acute knowledge of compasses and maps. Yet, as Nami deftly leaped over a small stream, she knew that the rules of the sea were different from the rules of the roads, or land in general for that matter. Yup, they were lost.

And she was sure something was following them.

She first saw it when she glanced back at Luffy, who was jogging along briskly, glad to have a chance to stretch his legs after his long nap. Over his right shoulder, in the trees, something had been standing there, and as she peered at it, the mystery shape had moved, slowly shuffling back behind the tree and out of sight. Of course, running while looking behind you wasn't always the most natural thing to do in the world, and Nami nearly broke her neck a moment later. As she turned forward again, the ground opened up beneath her feet, and she realized that a ravine had popped out of nowhere in order to swallow her whole. And it would have succeeded, if not for Luffy.

He saw her glance back to check on him, saw her eyes trail off over his shoulder, and noticed the way her jaw tightened. A second later, though, his attention was ripped away from Nami, and thrown instead to the dark hole that had appeared before them, the bottom unknown as the shadows grew shadows of their own and the sun disappeared behind the hill. "Nami! Look out!" he shouted, knowing she couldn't stop in time. As her feet left the ground, Luffy spread his own, his feet already sliding across the forest floor. Her weight shifted, and her body began to fall as he threw one of his arms forward, leaning back in the process to keep from getting thrown face-first from whiplash.

His arm stretched... stretched... and his hand finally found her own! Gripping her lower arm tightly, Luffy whipped his shoulder back, shifting his feet and using the weight of Nami's pack as a counter-balance. As she flew out of the hole, his arm snapped back into place, and they both proceeded to jump across the gap properly, managing to make it across without a problem. As they followed the path around a corner, though, Luffy cast his eyes back to the gap, he caught a glimpse of something strange: Fingers. There were fingers on the edge of the hole they had just lept over. Glancing down at the hand that had caught Nami, Luffy realized it was too warm again, and found himself smiling for some reason unknown to his simple mind.

Another five minutes of running through the dark forest got them to an open field, and Nami stopped to catch her breath. The hole that had nearly swallowed her whole was still fresh on her mind, and her heart was going a mile a minute. _Luffy... Saved me... Thank God..._ Even her thoughts seemed out of breath. After a moment, though, she had herself under control, and they set off at a brisk walk. She guessed that they were much farther north than they had originally landed, since the only openings in the forest she remembered marking on her maps were to the north.

"Nami."

She turned toward Luffy, opening her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but she never got that far. There, standing about ten yards away, were several figures, a dozen at most. They shifted while standing still, seeming to sway to a wind that was not felt by her or the grass around them. She could barely make out anything but their basic body shapes in the dusk, but even then, she knew something was wrong. There was something terribly wrong with what she was seeing, something she couldn't put her finger on...

"Hello, who are you?" Luffy questioned openly, addressing the nearest figure. No response. And then, it came again: That long, drawn-out moaning, dragging on and on, chilling Nami to her very bones. Because this time, she wasn't hearing an echo. The figures in the field were making that noise. "That's not a good answer" he frowned, shrugging. "My name's Luffy. What's yours?"

The lead figure took a step towards them, and Nami knew that it wasn't a friendly being they were trying to converse with. "Luffy, hit him and let's get out of here. Something's wrong. I wanna go back."

Luffy looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Me too. Gomu Gomu No... Pistol!" he shouted, thrusting his right arm forward, his fist catching the head figure squarely in what one would assume was it's face. Whoever he was dropped like a rock, and Nami cheered to herself while Luffy snapped his arm back into place, flexing his muscle at the rest of the crowd. However, their victory was short-lived. Not a second after the person dropped, he was pulling himself back to his feet, seemingly unaffected by the force of the blow. Any normal human wouldn't be moving for days after getting punched by Luffy.

"I think we need to get out of here. Now." Nami whispered, slowly backing up. As they turned to walk away, the moon cut through the clouds, and lit up the field briefly. What it illuminated made her feel like throwing up. All the 'people' standing before them were dead. Well, they should have been. Their skin was rotting off their bones, their eye sockets nothing more than black craters in a hairless skull. What little clothes they had left on had been eaten away at by moths and other nameless insects, reducing the articles to nothing more than filthy rags.

"Luffy, w-what the hell are those things?! LOOK AT THEM!!"

The captain, however, remained silent. He had never seen something this unnatural, something this bizarre, in his life. And as the moonlight faded, the leader took a slow, dragging step towards them. And this time, the others followed suit.

"C-come on, Luffy! We need to get the hell out of here!" Grabbing his hand, Nami pulled him along, pushing him to keep up with her as she shifted to a flat-out sprint across the field. The edge of the forest loomed ahead of them, seeming to rush forward as she closed the gap. Fifty yards... Twenty five yards... Ten... Five!

As they made it to the first of the trees, though, both Nami and Luffy skidded to a stop, breathing in rigid gasps and wheezes. Ahead of them stood a lone figure holding a torch, his face thrown into darkness by the hood draped over his head.

"Who are you?! Stand back, or we won't hold back this time!" Nami shifted her weight as she shouted out her warning, dropping lower to the ground, her right hand already reaching for the four metal rods that remained secured to her thigh at all times. Luffy, to her amazement, just stood there, panting slightly, his eyes still locked onto the dark figure. "Luffy, I'll take this one, watch for the others in the field!"

"No."

"That's it, prepare for the beating of your... Wait, what?! No!?! Do you want me to die??"

"We're not fighting her" Luffy responded, pointing to the figure holding the torch.

"Oh, we are so fighting... her... Luffy, how do you know it's a she?!"

As Nami spoke, though, the figure ahead of them reached up to it's head, and pulled away the hood, revealing...

"What the hell?!"

... **To Be Continued ...**

* * *

**Finishing Notes:** Well, that's the first chapter. I had originally planned on including the rest of the crews adventures on the island into this first chapter, making it a 3-parter, but I got so caught up with Luffy and Nami that I couldn't just set them on hold, sorries! Anyways, yes, you see the first pairing in this chapter (with a few hints on another pairing that will be revealed in Chapter Two) as well as a mysterious woman figure... Bwhaha, I love making cliffhangers! As a side note, sorry for not including at least a good fight scene to start the story off with a bang (and a few smacks, grunts and screams to boot). I'm treating Luffy with kid gloves right now: Anyone who's written One Piece fanfics knows how hard it is to capture him on paper, and I want to make sure I can get it right before anything. But, when the fight scenes do come, they'll be a lot longer than, "Luffy punched the guy in the face, the guy stabbed Luffy, Luffy punched him in the face again, Luffy won." This next chapter has a good fight scene in it, I'll tell you that much. Anyways, that's about it. Oh! And for extra credit, if anyone wants to go look up the song Sail On by The Masterplan, perhaps try to find it with a One Piece video to match, and you'll see the song that made me change the title of this story before the first chapter was even finished (I won't bore you with the original title, it was uber-lame -gags-). I'll update in a week or so, so look forward to the next chapter in this Grand (Line) Adventure! 

PS: There will be more hand-holding. Yay!

**Translations:**

_Baka:_ Stupid, idiot, moron, ect.

_Gomu Gomu No...:_ The phrase Luffy begins his attacks with, symbolizing the Devil Fruit powers he uses to make his body stretch.

_Nakama:_ If I even have to explain this one, you shouldn't be reading One Piece fanfics.


	2. Practice Makes Perfect

**One Piece: Sail On (The Grand Line)**

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter One.

**Author's Notes:** Back for another chapter, are you? Good. If not, get the heck back to Chapter One and read that, so you can get ready for this one! Sheese... Anyways, for those that can count, let's chat a little before getting on to the story. The main pairing in Chapter One (the story in general) was blatantly obvious. If you didn't see it, go read it again, this time while not spinning around in your computer chair, smashing your keyboard in primate-like frustration (for those of you that have dial-up, disregard that suggestion, you have all right to do such a thing). Chapter Two introduces the second pairing of my Grand Adventure, Zoro an- ... Wait! Why am I telling you this now?! Do I have to do all the damn work??? That's it, I'm going to torture you slowly by making you read about it. And if you so much as skip a single word, I'm cutting off one of your toes. Or all of them, if you're kinky like that. Yeeeaaaahhh... Where was I? Oh yes! Chapter Two! Here it is, ladies, gents and Undecided!

PS: I'm going to let you all in on a little secret: those aren't just your typical flesh-eating zombies. I'm saying this now, so that by the end of this chapter the Resident Evil (or zombie in general) fans aren't screaming for my brains. There's a very good (and scary) reasoning behind their appearance, and it will be explained in time. As of now, all you can believe is what you see, so make sure to _keep your eyes open!_

**Chapter Two: Practice Makes Perfect**

Nico Robin made her way back to the ship, followed by the rest of the crew. It took them several minutes to finish getting ready for the day ahead, so instead of stretching out with a good book in her usual spot, Robin offered to help her nakama pack.

"Sure!" Nami readily agreed, leading Robin swiftly into her study. As Nami sorted through what she would and wouldn't pack for the excursion, Robin helped sort them into the large knapsack, the task made relatively simple by the extra set of hands growing out of the top of the container, which managed to catch anything thrown their way and gently stow it snugly inside. After they had finished, Nami hugged and thanked her, and headed back up to the deck to seek out Luffy, who would be carrying the now-bulging parcel.

In no time at all the Going Merry was silent again, all but two of it's charges gone. Robin found her way back to her usual seat, and took a sip of punch before returning to her book. For a few hours, she managed to lose herself in her studies. However, after setting the thick hardcover down around noon, she found herself unable to concentrate on the story. Deciding that a walk would help get her in the mood, she drifted about the ship, eventually coming to the rear observation deck. Where she found the other remaining Straw Hat pirate, he of the swords.

While they were out to sea, Zoro engaged himself in only a few activities, rarely ever branching out from them. Whenever he wasn't sleeping, he was eating. And when he wasn't eating, he was training. In the past, when he had first joined Luffy's 'crew' (consisting of one scared little boy and a small dinghy as a ship) his actions were limited to the first two activities, rarely training his body. He knew he was the best: countless men who carried the will of the sword had fallen before him. Until that fateful day, aboard the Baratie. After Don Krieg had attacked, _he_ had appeared.

Hawk-Eye Mihawk. One of, if not the most, powerful swordsmen known in all four seas. Zoro had, for the first time since his training as a child, been defeated, and easily, by the inhumanly powerful Shichibukai. Respecting Zoro's spirit, Mihawk agreed to face him again only after he had become a great swordsman, and left him with those words. After that unforgettable event, Zoro had added training to his regiment. And more training. And still more training.

On several occasions, it had nearly killed him. On Drum Island, his endurance 'training' would have gotten him killed if not for the freak avalanche. And recently, while taking part in stopping the rebellion in Alabasta, he had managed to train himself in one of the deepest arts of swordsmanship during a life-threatening battle. However, all of that was in the past. The training Robin had snuck up on wasn't nearly that extreme... For Zoro. Other people would have just stopped and stared at him in awe.

He had managed to salvage several thick, round plates from a Marine ship they had run into, often used by the military to patch the holes in a ship's hull from cannon fire. Next, Zoro had found a steel rod aboard the Going Merry (Usopp had it reserved for a back-up weapon for Nami, had his Clima-Tactic ever failed, but failed to notice it's abrupt disappearance). How he had cut the small perfect circles in the plates, Robin could only guess. But, although crude, it made a sturdy dumbbell for Zoro to train with. And that was all he needed.

"1443... 1444... 1445..." Zoro panted, drawing in short, ragged breaths just to release them a moment later as a number. "1448... 1479..." His left arm, sheen with sweat, was steadily pumping the dumbbell up and down, up and down, each rise and fall punctuated by a gasped number. "1486... 1487..."

Robin waited patiently, leaning casually against the rear railing, watching him complete his set. Each day, beginning when they had left Alabasta behind, she had watched him train. Fifteen hundred reps with a weight that made a medium-sized vessel rock back and forth was an impressive feat, only bolstered by the fact that he trained each arm, and even his lower jaw, separately. Not many men she had met in her 20-some years at sea could hold a candle to the man before her, yet...

"1500." Zoro dropped the weight, not even noticing how the ship shifted briefly to the left. He snatched the bandana off his upper arm and wiped away the sweat dripping from his face. Only after tying it safely back did he notice that he wasn't alone. Looking up at Robin, who was leaning against the railing still, his brow furrowed. "How long have you been watching me?"

"Since I came up here. You didn't notice, so I figured you didn't mind my presence" she shrugged casually, then turned around to gaze into the ocean spread out behind them. As Zoro stood up and started to walk away, she stopped him with a softly-spoken question. "Tell me, Zoro. Why did you stay with your captain this whole time? With your power, you could have created your own crew, or even went off alone..."

The man in question snorted. "You'd never understand. You've been using other people to get to your own dream for your entire life. Some things..." he paused, then walked back to the rear of the ship, placing his hand on the railing a few feet down from Robin. "Some things aren't as simple as they seem. Luffy's different from all those other assjacks that call themselves 'pirates'. He isn't guided by wealth, power, glory, all of that rubbish. His will is what motivates him, and even though it's the will of a pirate, everything always seems to work out for the better."

"He has the Will of D."

Zoro raised an eyebrow in surprise, then nodded silently in her direction. "Someone else told us the same thing. It was back on Drum Island, where we met our new doctor, Tony Tony Chopper..."

* * *

As Luffy was off chasing the reindeer/human Zoan, hoping to talk him into becoming one of his crew, his other nakama found themselves alone in the "Recovery' room, accompanied by Kureha. 

"Have any of you... heard the name Gol D Rogers?"

"You mean Gold Rogers?" Nami responded, pulling herself up straighter in bed.

"Is that what they call him now?" Kureha snorted, then took another long pull from the bottle of saki that never left her side. Zoro himself was amazed that a woman as old as she seemed could handle that brand so easily, but kept his mouth shut on the subject, having already been nearly knocked out cold the last time he had questioned her actions. "Yes, that's the man. He's one of them. And so is your captain." She looked around, glancing from one crew member to the next. "You travel with a dangerous man."

"Well, yeah, we kinda know that already" Nami responded, shrugging. "He defeated Arlong the Merman, Don Krieg, Axe-hand Morrigan..."

Kureha shook her head in annoyance. "It's not just that, baka. The Will of D isn't about how strong you are, or who you've defeated. It's about something deeper..."

"Deeper?"

"Yeah, deeper. Listen to me, young one, and listen good. The man you call captain is like a cyclone. All around him, destruction will rage. Anything that stands against him will perish in the waves he makes. And yet, in the center of it all, there's a calm spot. Call it the eye of the storm, if it suits your fancy." The doctor looked at Zoro, then to the prone Sanji, then back to Nami. "You're all in the eye right now. Pray that you never lose your dream, and thus lose his favor"

The navigator looked perplexed. "What do our dreams have to do with any of this?"

Kureha glanced to the left, at Zoro, who was sitting on the end of the bed Sanji currently occupied. "Tell me, was there any time that that boy acknowledged what you wanted to do, rather than tell you what he expected of you?"

He thought for a long moment, then nodded. "Back when we first met this shitty cook here, I lost to someone. He took me back, even after I had lost to the man I wanted to defeat more than anything. If he had any intent to kill us then, not even Luffy could have stood a chance. And yet, he accepted me as a part of his crew, even in my darkest hour."

She snorted again, shaking her head. "And what about you, missy?"

"I..." Nami lowered her head, her face hidden in the shadows cast by her hair spilling onto her forehead. "I stole their ship. And went back to the man I hated the most, after Luffy had trusted m-me." Her voice caught on the last word, and the two other conscious people in the room could tell she was struggling to hold back her tears. "I left, but... B-but, he followed me. And even after I supposedly killed one of his nakama, he n-never gave up that trust" she sniffled, while Zoro nodded solemnly: he had told her of Luffy's reaction to the news of Usopp's death himself. "And t-then... I didn't know what to do. Everything I-I had worked for, since I l-lost my... since I w-was a little girl, had gone wrong. So, instead of standing up for myself, all I did was c-cower in shame and blame myself, then turn to him, p-pleading for help. And he listened..." Nami's right hand snaked up to her left shoulder, clutching at the tattoo there.

"He helped you with your dream, correct?" Nami nodded in response, not trusting herself enough to speak out loud. "Dreams are a large deal to those of D. Pray to whatever deities you worship that your dreams never conflict with those that hold that name." Kureha stepped away from the wall she had been leaning on, and walked toward the door. Stopping just outside the room, she turned back to the group to share one final piece of wisdom. "Never doubt him. If there's one thing I've learned at the youthful age of one hundred and thirty-nine, it's that the ideals that the men of D hold are never forgotten."

* * *

Robin awoke several hours later, in her reading seat. The last thing she remembered before drifting off was Zoro recounting how they had finally made it to Princess Vivi's homeland. Everything else she had heard of or taken part in, so now she knew how these men (and a woman) had come to be her nakama. Stretching, she immediately looked over to the swordman's usual spot: It was empty. 

"I see you're finally awake" A voice called out from above her. Looking up, she saw that the man she had been looking for had just exited the kitchen, and was making his way down the stairs, carrying two mugs. After handing her one, containing what appeared to be a freshly brewed cup of coffee, Zoro took his own and sat down in the chair opposite of hers, leaning back. "Was I that boring?"

"No, not at all" Robin replied, setting the still-steaming coffee down. "Your story was a good one, and you spoke well. With the heat and all..." She shrugged, then smiled at him. "It's been a while since I've been able to relax without keeping my guard up."

"Ah." There was a long pause as Zoro blew on his drink, then took a hearty sip. "But, I didn't really answer your question..."

"Oh, but you did. And, although you do not trust me, I would like to point out that I have my own reasons for following Luffy." She tipped her hear to one side, resting her chin on her palm. "It's not every day that someone defies my wishes by saving my own life."

"Hmph." He glanced at her, then looked away. "Why would you want to die?"

A pained look flew over the archaeologist's features, then passed swiftly as Zoro turned back to her. "I have my reasons, and I do not wish to speak of them"

"Alright. But..." Zoro scratched the back of his head, feeling uncomfortable at what had come into his mind while he was speaking. He decided to just press on. "But, if you need to talk, you seem to know where to find me."

Robin laughed quietly, politely covering her mouth with her hand. "Alright, fair enough. But... In return, I wish to hear more about _you_, Mister Roronoa."

Zoro sputtered something into his coffee, earning him another laugh from the woman seated across from him. They both sat in silence for a while, watching the sun set behind the hills. Then, it came. A whisper.

"Did you hear that?"

Robin looked at him, then shook her head. "I didn't hear a thing. What was it?"

He stood up, the coffee cup forgotten. "I need to leave for a little while. Do you want to stay here and guard the Going Merry, or...?"

She smiled, then tapped her foot on the rough wood floor. "I think she can handle herself. I wouldn't mind stretching my legs either, so sure, I'll go with you." Walking over to the railing, Zoro watched her easily hop onto the wood, then slip out of sight, her landing marked a moment later by a small splash. He made sure all three swords were secured to his side before following her example, leaving the ship empty once again. For the time being, at least.

They walked down the beach a ways, before something told Zoro that he should head into the woods on their left. Robin had no objections, so the two cautiously made their way through the underbrush. He had to stop once, to get his bearings, but surprisingly enough he seemed to know where he was going. Unlike any other time he had tried to navigate his way around.

Ten minutes later, and Robin barely even noticed that the guide of this little walk had abruptly stopped. She would have kept walking, keeping her eyes on the forest floor for things to trip over, had he not stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Hey."

"Hmm?" She asked, raising her eyes... and her heart rose to her throat. There, ahead of them, were what appeared to be a ruins of some sorts; here and there stone pillars still stood, and the ground looked like an early form of cobblestone, obviously over-run with grass and nearby tree roots. "It's... An old ruins?"

He nodded, staring ahead. The area was draped in shadows, deepening by the minute as the sun set lower behind the hill to their west. "This... Is where the sound came from. I can hear it..." Zoro lowered his head, concentrating intently. Then, he spoke a single word. "_Tsurugi_"

Almost as if it were a response, a low moan sounded, drawing out to an inhuman length, before dying off with a choking noise. Robin stared straight ahead, trying to discern where such a particular noise was coming from. Peering at the darkness around her, she felt goosebumps erupt across the nape of her neck. They were being watched. Then, she saw something that made her heart seem to stop for several seconds. Deep inside the ruins, a figure had seemingly materialized out of the shadows, standing in what little light was left in the ancient town.

Whatever it was, it was unnatural. Although she couldn't make out many details, Robin knew it was trouble. She was just about to speak her mind to Zoro, when another figure appeared, and then yet again another. Her had flew to her mouth, and she let out a low moan. "N-no... That's not possible. W-why... How..."

Zoro looked up finally, and saw what she was seemingly disagreeing with.

The original figure looked the most... human. It's clothes were intact for the most part, and although pale, the skin was normal. The eyes were what made it wrong. They were devoid of any life, the globes themselves a milky white, staring off into the distance. Looking into those eyes was like staring at Death itself. Robin shivered, and without knowing it, drew close to Zoro. He wasn't complaining at the moment.

The other figures that had appeared were in various states of decomposition, some missing eyes, ears, one lacking an arm, another with nothing below his upper teeth but a dark pit. Their clothes were rotting like along with their bodies, it seemed.

Robin let out another moan as a figure appeared not ten yards from them, stepping out from behind a pillar into the red-tinged sunset. As Zoro made to step around her, preparing to draw his swords in the process, she stopped him with a touch. "You... You c-can't attack them. The ruins... Let me." He said nothing, so she took a step forward, crossing her arms above her chest as she moved. "Seis Fleur: Clutch!"

They both watched the figure ahead of them as the attack took effect. First, a pair of arms sprouted from it's hips, swung behind it's back, and clasped together, throwing the person's shoulders back as their own arms were pinned firmly by the grip. A second pair of arms appeared on the person's chest and shot upward, performing a sort of scissor-choke hold. The final set of arms reached up behind the person's shoulders and, upon each grasping an arm that was crossed over his throat, thrust back. Zoro couldn't help but wince at the wet crunching noises the man's neck made as it was bent at an unnatural angle. A second later the figure dropped like a stone, still twitching.

"See? Sometimes, finesse is easier than force." Robin smiled, wiping sweat from her brow. A second later, however, she brought her arm in front of her, staring intently at it. "What is tha-" was as far as she got in her inquiry before her screams began.

Zoro stared in shock at Robin's bare arms. As he watched, several deep gashes appeared in her skin, tearing long gouges down her forearms, which immediately filled with fresh blood. Next, bite marks appeared near her wrists: sickeningly, Zoro couldn't help but see the white of one of her slender bones before the wound filled with more blood. As her screams turned to moans of agony, he snapped out of his daze in time to catch her before she hit the ground in a daze.

"M-my... Oh my G-god, it hurts! It hurts! M-make it go a-away... Make i-it go away!! It...go..." She moaned again, and Zoro tore off his shirt, managing to split it nearly down the middle of the back. A few swift pulls, and the short sleeves were gone, leaving him with two mounds of cloth. Moving quickly, he wrapped the shirt halves around her arms, earning a few more screams as the fabric rubbed against the jagged edges of her wounds. He stood up, removing the bandana tied around his upper arm, and as Robin passed into unconsciousness, she heard him utter two sentences.

"You're more important than these ruins. Next time, let me do the damn finessing." After making sure she wasn't trying to get up, Zoro finally turned toward the shadowy figures standing in the ruins. The one Robin had attacked had managed to climb to it's feet, and the hardened swordsman shivered at the sight of the thing.

It's head was rolled back, at an impossible angle, reminding him strongly of how their captain looked behind himself when he didn't want to, or simply couldn't, properly turn around. It was a funny sight then, seeing his head swinging back and forth on his elastic neck: here, it was a violation to nature. Zoro had heard the thing's neck break, several times really, and yet it stood there, defying all rational thought. He took a long look at it before finally reaching up to tie the bandana in his hands over his brow, hiding his eyes in the moonlight.

"I don't care what you are, or how you hurt her, but your time ends now." The only response to his words was another long, dreadful moan, as several more shadows appeared, three of them disturbingly close. As Zoro assessed the situation, one of the three took a step forward, closing the gap to five yards.

"Fine then. I'll show you creepy bastards something I've just finished working on." Zoro closed his eyes, and the world fell away. His three swords were the first thing to appear, seeming to float in the air before him. He took a deep breath, then let it out swiftly, and opened his eyes. The figures had approached while he was not watching, close enough for him to smell their rotting flesh. And something deeper, something far more vile, underneath. It didn't matter.

"One sword." As Zoro spoke, he set his hand on Wadō Ichimonji, the first blade given to him a long time ago, when his dreams first began. "One lifetime." The figure closest to him began to shuffle forward, intent on seeking the owner of the voice it heard. "Ittōryū Iai: 36 Pound Cannon!" Zoro shouted, drawing the sword smoothly from it's sheath, swinging it in a horizontal line before him. The effect was immediate. And devastating.

The figures closest to him simply disintegrated from the force as the blast of focused _ki _washed over them. The stone pillars around the area, having seen better days, decided it was time to give in to gravity and fall, crushing everything around them. The few stragglers that weren't killed by his attack were quickly flattened by the huge blocks of rock falling around them. As Zoro draped an unconscious Robin over his back, positioning her bloodied arms carefully around his neck as a way to keep her from sliding off, he realized what was missing: the voice that had spoke to him, guiding him here, whispering that foreign word into his mind, was now gone.

It took him a lot longer to get out of the forest than it had to get in. Several times he had gotten lost, once even coming close to falling into a deep-looking ravine. By the time he made it back to the beach, the moon was climbing into the night sky. Looking up and down the beach, Zoro cursed when he saw that he had somehow made it even further south than the ship. Setting off at a brisk pace, he made it to the Going Merry in no time at all, and spent a moment wondering how he was going to get Robin up onto the deck alone. Shrugging, he just crouched down, and in one swift motion, leaped up onto the deck, easily clearing the twenty-foot jump. It wasn't until he landed that the hell began.

It seemed that everyone had more it back before Zoro and Robin, and they were all horridly worried (the cook only admitted caring for Robin's safety more than that 'dumb-ass sword-swinger''s, but Zoro didn't bother rising to the bait). After he had Chopper help him carry Robin into his study room/storage space, with Sanji trailing behind crying his eyes out about not being there to protect her fragile body, Zoro made his way back down to the lower deck, eager to tell Luffy about what he had seen. They exchanged stories, both leaving out random details, but eventually came to an agreement that they needed to get the hell off this island, and _now._ Zoro turned away, intent on hoisting the anchor, when Luffy stopped him.

"There's something else. We met someone on our way back..." Luffy scratched his head, while Nami nodded.

"Oh, really? Do they live here? What did they say?"

"Well..." Nami mumbled, shifting from foot to foot. "You're not going to like this."

"Not going to like wha-" Zoro turned, curious, but stopped cold as his body completed it's 180 degree rotation. There, standing near the chair he had been sitting in earlier that day (a piece left out of his story) was the last person he could have expected. He wouldn't have been more shocked if it were the ghost of Crocodile he was now seeing.

The face of Ensign Tashigi was the only part of her body that Zoro could actually see, but that was more than enough to identify her. He immediately felt the need to sit down, and chose the railing he had jumped over a few minutes ago as an appropriate place, since it was a far as he could get from her without actually leaving this level of the deck. "Hmph. Come to arrest us, have you?"

Luffy turned to him, grinning in his casual way. "Nah, it's not like that! See, her and Smo-"

Nami elbowed him roughly in the ribs. "Baka! Just wait a minute, he should be right back." Luffy pouted at her for a moment, then turned back to stare at Tashigi, missing the fond look that Nami shot his way a second later. Zoro was about to open his mouth to ask what the hell was going on when a door opened nearby, and another figure walked out, making his way slowly out of the shadows and into the light.

Zoro could feel his heart beating in his ears, and it took every ounce of will not to stand up and attack the man before him. There had to be a rational explanation as to why this was going on.

Captain Smoker strolled calmly across the deck, and sat down next to the still-standing Tashigi. A minute passed in utter silence, with Luffy and Smoker seemingly locked in a staring contest as the others looked around hesitantly. A little while later, however Smoker leaned forward, setting his arms on his knees. "Well, you've made quite a name of yourselves in Alabasta, Straw Hats. Especially you, Monkey D Luffy."

"Heheheh... It wasn't all my fault" Luffy cocked a thumb at Nami, who was close to hiding herself completely behind her captain. "Nami couldn't resist helping out Vivi, so we had to-"

"Baka!" Nami shrieked, punching him in the back of the head. "Don't say stuff like that, or they'll think..."

"Think that Nefertari Vivi's is, or rather was, a pirate?" Smoker threw in.

"Yeah, that's what the- No! That's not true! She's just..." Nami paused, then looked at the pair of Marines. "What... How did you know...?"

Smoker snorted. "I was in the Marines before your mother was changing your diapers. Did you think it would be that hard to pull the story together?"

"W-well..." Nami stammered, inwardly stung by the mention of parents. Luffy saw the hurt look in her eyes, and took a step forward, raising his arm.

"Don't talk to my crew like that! I don't care that you're Marines, you're on my ship, and Nami's my nakama!" Gritting his teeth, he took another step forward, just to have Nami pull him back.

"It's alright, Luffy, he wasn't trying to insult me." Nami turned toward Smoker. "But, our captain make a good point: just what the hell are you doing on our ship? Shouldn't you be like, attacking us and stuff?"

"Eh..." Smoker looked up to Tashigi, who nodded. "We came here for something else. Show them the posters."

Tashigi reached into her cloak and pulled out two Marine-issue Wanted Posters, then handed them to Smoker. He effortlessly turned his arm into smoke and passed them to Luffy, who didn't even flinch at what could have been a surprise attack. Luffy stared at the two pieces of paper in his hands for a good minute, before finally succumbing to laughter. Nami peered over his right shoulder, her arm resting lightly on the left. "Wanted: Monkey D Luffy. Bounty: ... 100,000,000 Beli?!"

"Check it out, Zoro! We're wanted men! Eheh..." The captain stretched one of his arms out to the man, holding one of the posters. Zoro took it from him, and stared down at his paper likeliness.

"Wanted: Roronoa Zoro. Bounty: 60,000,000 Beli" He snorted, then turned his gaze back to their 'guests'. "You came to tell us this? And now what? You thinking of collecting my bounty?"

Smoker regarded him for a second, then shook his head. "Nope. Luffy, yours was updated based off of your association with the Shichibukai Crocodile. I'm sure it would have been more, if I had convinced them it was you whom defeated that tyrant. However, as standing, the World Government is taking all the glory on that matter. As for you, Zoro, you were rewarded yours after the defeat of over 100 Baroque Works agents, along with one of Crocodile's top subordinates, the man known as Mister One."

"Hmph. That was nothing."

"So..." Nami finally looked up from the Wanted Poster of her captain to two of their sworn enemies sitting nonchalantly on the ship. "You still haven't explained why you're here."

Smoker nodded. "Well, when I heard about what the government was doing, I wasn't happy. Even Hina couldn't talk me out of it. I said some rather... Angry things, and they finally snapped. As of now, I have been stripped of my rank and medals, and await further judgement at Enies Lobby, a World Government base a ways away from here." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to the still-silent Tashigi. "She decided to come with me on her own free will, after hearing how the higher-ups were treating the situation." Smoker stared intently at Luffy. "You saved that damn country. Not us. We were powerless to act against the powers sending that country into civil war. And yet you, without even thinking twice, set yourself against a Shichibukai, one of the government's 'secret weapons'."

He paused to catch his breath, then pushed on. "And then, those cowardly assjacks didn't have the testicular fortitude to admit that one of their loose cannons had been stopped by a pirate, not by them. They wrote it off as a successful operation, and offered me a promotion to keep my mouth shut. I decided I had enough, and told them just how I felt about their antics. The rest, you already know."

Luffy was silent for a moment. The ship rocked slightly as the tide rose a little more, then settled back down. Finally, he spoke. "What do you want to do?"

Tashigi stepped forward, removing her cloak. Underneath, she was wearing an outfit that would have looked at home in Nami's wardrobe, instead of her usual Marine uniform. Zoro noticed the green sheath strapped to her leg, and remembered seeing it when he had first met her, in Loguetown. "Monkey D Luffy. We wish to join your crew. Would you accept us as your nakama?"

"She speaks the truth." Smoker stood up, and stepped forward, coming to her side. "I'm sick of the Marine's idea of 'Supreme Justice'. It sounds like shit to me. You Straw Hats have shown more justice than an entire fleet of ships, in the time I've known you. And you don't seem to be changing." As Tashigi bowed down before Luffy, Smoker followed suit.

"Sure!"

"B-but, Luffy! What if it's all a trap? This seems too simple..." Nami glanced back at the two former Marines, who had risen on his word. "What if they try to double-cross us?"

"Nami." Luffy looked at his navigator, his smile sweet enough to make her weak in the knees. "I would never let them hurt you, or any of my nakama. And besides..." Turning back to the pair, he cracked his knuckles. "If they try anything funny, I'll beat em to a pulp. Eh, Zoro?"

"You're the captain, Captain" Zoro nodded, turning to walk away. As he reached the stairs, he spoke over his shoulder. "I'm going to bed. We can talk more tomorrow."

After Zoro had disappeared, Luffy turned back to their new charges. "I only wanna know one thing. What are your plans after you join us?"

Smoker thought for a moment, then grunted. "I want to follow my own Justice. If that means flying the Jolly Roger to do so, then I'm all for it." He grinned, and pulled out two fresh cigars. "Wanna smoke?"

"Nope. What about you?" Luffy nodded towards Tashigi, who had fallen back into silence.

"Well... Erm..." She sputtered, looking from Luffy, to Nami, then back to Luffy. "I wish to remove all the Meitō from the hands of those that would wield them for evil purposes."

He laughed, then nodded. "I have no idea what you two are talking about, but that doesn't matter. I accept!" Stepping forward, Luffly extended his hand, and after a moment, Smoker grasped said offered hand and shook it. Nami and Tashigi were both smiling at the two men, having just seen the beginning of what could be a long friendship. They glanced at each other and laughed, while the men looked around in confusion. Finally, Luffy let go and turned to leave, with Nami following close behind him. "Oh, and you two can sleep out here for the night, we'll look for beds for you tomorrow."

The pair nodded, then sat down. After hearing the door to the sleeping quarters slip shut, Smoker put out his cigar and leaned back, closing his eyes. "Did you see it?"

Tashigi nodded. "He's got no clue, but she does. And when I saw the swordsman carrying that woman who fought me..."

"Oi, don't get ahead of yourself." Smoker opened his eyes again, and stared at his companion in thought. "You know, I think this is going to be fun."

"Oh, I know it's going to be. Good night, Smoker-kun"

"Hmph."

* * *

**Finishing Notes: **Well, that's the second chapter! We got to see my second intended pairing, as well as a possible third (I'm still iffy about it, bear with me folks). Now, I know I took the liberty of creating a scene that never occurred, as well as shifting two character's typical feelings for each other, but remember, this is AU. I'm changing things based on my own personal liking, as well as what I think could have happened, based on canon events. Now, I know, the whole Smoker and Tashigi joining the Straw Hats thing was out of left field, but I have my reasons. And who here doesn't remember exactly how pissed off Smoker was at his superiors? Or how the both of them had let the Straw Hats go at one time in the Alabasta Arc? They _trusted them_. And Luffy said it himself: he didn't hate Smoker. So I stand by my words. If you don't like where it's going, then I recommend that you find a new fanfiction to read, because they're not leaving anytime soon, and neither am I. Anyways, enough of my rantings. I'll work on Chapter Three during the week, so expect it around the weekend on so. Good luck and godspeed, Constant Reader! 

Yours truly,

The Man Behind The Mask

PS: Shopping trip next Chapter! Smoker in pink shorts?! Luffy in a Speedo?!? Doubtful. But, this is One Piece, so anything can happen.

**Translations:**

_Ittōryū Iai _: One-sword Style Draw. A key component of Zoro's first move utilizing _ki_, and the stepping stone for the first version of his second.

_Wadō Ichimonji _: The One Road to Harmony. Zoro's first sword, given to him by the father of a childhood friend.

_Seis Fleur _: Six Flowers, two of the three words used in naming Robin's limb-based attacks. The number of limbs being used is said first, then the word 'flower' in French, often followed by a description of the attack being used (examples: Clutch, Grab, Catch, Cradle, ect.).

_Shichibukai _: Seven Military Seas. Seven powerful pirates working under the World Government's umbrella, so to speak. Hawk-Eye Mihawk and Sir Crocodile were both part of this group.


	3. Shopping and Sunsets

**One Piece: Sail On (The Grand Line)**

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter Two

**Author's Note:** Yosh! Well, here we are with Chapter Three. I must say, I'm enjoying writing this fan fiction, and I literally can't wait to see what happens next. I know, I know, I'm the Author, I'm supposed to know all the pieces beforehand, but... The thing is, I don't. I've seen a little bit into the future, but nowhere near as mush as you'd expect. This whole shopping trip wasn't even on my original agenda! Hehehe, let's see how it turns out, shall we?

PS: I've discovered a personal joy in writing Luffy x Nami scenes, and the way Zoro and Robin's personalities clash yet fit together makes me smile. As for my pair-exclusive chapters so far... I'll throw the other crew members in every now and then, but probably only for comical purposes/fight scenes. Sorry to all you Sanji/Ussop/Chopper x Anything fans, but I figure I should give you at least a little explanation as to why I focused on only a select few of the Straw Hats so much. Someday, they'll have their own bit o' limelight, but not today. Anyways, let us continue on, Constant Reader. I'll lead the way.

**Chapter Three: Shopping and Sunsets**

Nami flung herself onto her new queen-sized bed, smiling at the feel of the soft, silky sheets. Grabbing one of the feather-down pillows, she buried her face in it, took a deep breath, and then started laughing. And laughing.

The last week had been one of the greatest times of her life. And she had only one boy to thank for it all. That and, well, the rest of her nakama. But, most of the blame lied on the shoulders of one person.

Finally tapering her laughter off to a few random giggles Nami released the pillow, smoothed it out, and rolled over, stretching out on the soft bedspread. Her clothes had to come off sometime, she knew, but for the time being she was happy the way she was. And happy where she was. Happy about who she had last seen, and extraordinarily happy about what that person had done.

The last time she remembered being this happy was after seeing him emerge from the rubble, and yell to her that she was his (not in that exact fashion, but close enough in her eyes). It seemed like ages ago, yet she could still remember every detail: The blood seeping through the wound in his side, the feel of his treasured hat on her head (the real _weight _of it, as unusual as it seems), the screams he had let out while destroying the room she had spent her childhood in, the way his had felt in her lap, after he had passed out during the party...

Nami blushed, her heart growing warmer in her chest at each passing moment. This last week had brought her one step closer to the boy she adored, the one that seemed almost oblivious to her feelings. She knew better now, though.

"Monkey D Luffy." As she whispered his name, Nami finished removing her knee-length skirt and sleeve-less blouse and slipped under the sheets on her bed, sighing in pleasure as the cool fabric met her bare skin. "Luffy..." His name was the last word on her tongue, his face the last coherent image in her mind as she fell into a dream-filled sleep, the smile still fixed to her lips.

* * *

The navigator was the first to rise. _As usual_ she thought, grinding her teeth. The rest of the crew were below-deck, sleeping still. She was relieved to find their two new guests (it was hard thinking of them as nakama, even after last night) still passed out, though. It was the mornings she liked the most, the time just before dawn, when the air grows still as if _waiting_ for the sun to find it's way into the sky. That, combined with the silence, made mornings a sort of blissful little secret, one Nami had managed to keep all to her own. 

As she made it to the figurehead of the Going Merry, Nami let her eyes slip shut, hanging onto the railing to keep her mind from thinking she was just going to fly away. She drew in a lung full of fresh air, smelling faintly of un-named flowers somewhere near by, then released it, feeling her body shrug off the drowsiness of a night spent tossing and turning. Her dreams had been haunted by those weird _things_ in the field, the ones with the rotting clothes, and skin, and those _eyes..._

Nami shuddered, hugging herself for the extra warmth. As she did, she discerned a single footstep behind her, then another. Finally getting annoyed that whoever it was wasn't announcing their presence in the usual fashion, she opened her eyes, turning toward the spot she had heard the last footfall. And there stood the person she'd expected the least. Usually, the loudest member of the Straw Hats. _Luffy._

"Luffy" Nami breathed, her mouth forming his name even as her eyes identified him. He was standing there in his usual get-up, a loose-fitting sleeveless red vest that clashed horribly with the faded blue jean shorts. And the white fringe... Ugh, she couldn't count the number of times she'd wanted to just reach down and yank those rings off. _Not to mention the pants they're attached to..._ her treacherous mind commented, as she found herself blushing faintly.

"Mornin'" the boy being addressed managed to mumble, his voice a ghost of it's usual exuberant self. His arm snaked upward, and as his hand finally reached his face she watched with open affection as he rubbed the sleep out of the corners of half-closed eyes like a child half his age would have done, his hand curled up into a loose fist. "Morning..." he muttered once more, and took a few halting steps forward, making it to the railing she was currently leaning back against. "Why're you up so early?"

She turned around, looking out towards the mountains they had trekked near yesterday. "I'm always up this early."

"Well, yeah... but why?"

"I..." Nami stole a glance at Luffy, who was currently leaning over the rail, apparently eying the beach they were resting upon. "I like the way the sun rises. It reminds me of Cocoyashi."

"Oh." A long pause. "Do you miss them?"

"Well, yeah. I hope they're doing okay and all, and I managed to mail some letters before we left the kingdom, maybe they'll make it to Nojiko-chan and Genzo."

"Heheh... I remember his pinwheel. And the party we had!" Luffy threw his hands up, then went back to watching the shallow water lap against the hull. "Did... You ever want to go back? Back to your home?"

She shook her head, then sighed, knowing he couldn't see her. "Nope. I want to draw a map of the world first. And... some other stuff." _Like getting those shorts off of you_ her naughty side interjected, as her cheeks heated up another degree. No, not that, too early to start _those _thoughts. _It's never too early _her mind countered, then resigned itself to silence.

"Good" Luffy nodded, then straightened up. He walked past her, then down the stairs, leaving her alone with her blushing cheeks and thoughts of just why he would find it good that she stay.

* * *

"Ussop! Ussop! Do it again! Again!" Chopper cheered loudly, clapping his hooves together in delight. 

"Yeah, yeah, hold on, this takes skill... Hold on a damn minute!"

"How did I end up with a group of pirates this idiotic..." Smoker mumbled, as he sun-bathed on the rear deck of the ship. Next to him Zoro remained silent, counting one-fingered push-ups in his mind as the sweat dripped from his brow.

"Okay, ready! Watch this..." Ussop mumbled. Having hid behind a cape while fiddling with something, he finally drew it around himself as he stood up straight, turning in the process. On his right arm, secured by a ball of fabric, was a hook instead of a hand. "WORTHLESS." Then, the deep, dragged-out laughter of a truly sinister villain. "You're ALL dead. My 'banana-crocs' will gnaw on your bones, puny little humans. YOUR BEST WILL NOT BE GOOD ENOUGH! Ahahahahaa...gwhahahaahaa..."

Luffy, leader of the Straw Hat pirates, leaped down from the kitchen level... wearing Smoker's vest. Complete with gloves. He had even managed to steal two of his cigars and had them stuck in the corner of his mouth, unlit. Turning, he struck a pose and 'confronted' Ussop. "Hey. You eyebrow-less freak. Wanna taste my 'Justice'?"

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME! You scum. Gwhahahahaa..."

Robin and Tashigi both found themselves laughing as Luffy strutted around the deck, yelling about how he was going to drop his Justice on everyone. Ussop trailed behind him, a disgusted look still plastered on his long-nosed face, waving the fake hook he had salvaged from a ship they had come across. The pair traded insults once more, and Robin made as if to cover her mouth to muffle the joy threatening to escape, but winced as her arm came off the table. It had been five days since they had left that dreadful island, and although the wounds had healed in miraculous time (Chopper had responded to her praise with a cheerful "Shut the hell up!") there was still some residual pain.

"Are you alright?" Tashigi questioned, noticing the older girl's grimace immediately.

Robin smiled at her, then picked up the glass of tea in front of her. "Yeah. The wounds are almost healed, thanks to Chopper-kun. It was rather akward at first... Zoro had to help me eat, drink, and I even convinced him to hold a book open once for me."

"I remember the look on his face when he did that, I thought he was going to start swearing or something!" The younger girl laughed quietly, then pushed her glasses further up. "Listen, Robin. About that day..."

"It's alright." She turned to Tashigi and gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry for how I treated you then, but we can forget that now. We're nakama, correct? According to Luffy we are, and since we're on his ship..."

Tashigi turned to look at her new captain who was currently lecturing the cook about who got to smoke, while Usopp pretended to hunt Chopper, while muttering something about 'shitty rainclouds'. "Sometimes, I doubt his sanity. And the way he spoke back in the square, when he was looking for Crocodile..." She smiled faintly at the memory.

Robin laughed, managing not to wince as she brought her hand up again. "Don't let Nami-san hear that, she'll get jealous."

"Jealous of what?" the girl being mentioned inquired, seeming to appear out of thin air besides the two. Winking slyly, she crouched down to table-level. "Are you two gossiping about me again?" Straightening up, she turned to the rest of the crew. "Hey, numbskulls! We should be landing in about an hour, so get ready to dock! And don't _eat _the damn cigars, Luffy! I go to check our heading for one minute, and this is what I come back to, ugh..."

* * *

Several hours later, Luffy, Zoro and Smoker made their way through the densely populated trading town, trying not to draw attention. They had managed to find a convenient place to drop anchor a mile or so south of the public docks, and walked the rest of the way into town. Nami had already pulled Tashigi and Robin off with her, leaving the three men with nothing constructive to do. After discussing it, though, it was decided that they should go to a local bar and see what they could dredge up, information-wise. Of course, all good plans go astray. 

"So, ya'll folks're from Al'basta, eh?"

Smoker gritted his teeth in frustration. _That damn accent..._ "Yeah, we just came from there. Now, like I was saying... Does this town have a name?"

The bartender reached over to grab a dirty beer mug, then began to clean it off with an even filthier dish rag. "Oh, yu'up, we sure do! This're's the town o' Destar, on the islan' of Feras. The mayor 'ere goes by the handle of..."

Zoro drowned him out. "Great, great. But, one more thing: how long does a Log take to set here?"

The man behind the bar gave him a puzzled look. "I reckon it'ud take about a day and a half'un one, or so." With that little bit of wisdom divulged, the man strolled off to tend to the rest of the afternoon drinkers, leaving the three to digest what little information they had gotten from him.

"Well, that gives us a little time. We got here a little after sunrise, so we can leave tomorrow afternoon. What do we do until then?"

The swordsman shrugged. "Knowing Nami, she'll be shopping until the stores close. That, or she runs out of money."

Luffy slammed his hands on the bar, scaring the man nursing a fresh bottle of ale next to him. "Yosh! Let's find an adventure!"

"Don't go making waves now. Remember, you two are wanted men, you know."

The younger boy didn't even seem to hear him. "Hey! Mister! Are there any Mystery Places on this island?"

The barkeep turned from the table he was currently taking orders from. "Mistry Places, eh? Hmm... Oh! I'gotcha! There'ses a real, real spook cave some're in the hills a lil' bit a north of us here. You'd best not go ta'there, boys. People've said theres a bona-fide ghast up'n there." Turning back to the group he had been servicing, the older man shrugged his shoulders, as if to say _Sheese, kids these days._

"A... Mystery Cave?!" As their captain's eyes lit up, Zoro and Smoker sighed. _Here we go again. _No sooner than they finished that thought, he had already taken off, eagerly dashing outside the restaurant/bar and into the crowded street.

"It's supposedly haunted... Someone probably made that up to keep the locals away."

Zoro shrugged. "Doesn't matter. He's got that look again. You're better off talking sense into a Sea King." Standing up, he made sure his three blades were properly secured to his belt before following Luffy out.

"Hmph. At least this'll keep us out of town." Smoker stubbed out both of his cigars in the ashtray sitting on the counter, then followed his two new crew mates outside. A short while later, the owner's voice rang out.

"Hey! They'd left without payin' fer their drinks, them dir'y ruffians! Why I're outta..."

A female voice spoke up near the end of the bar. "I'll pay for them. I owe that man, anyways."

The barkeep spun around, finally noticing the out-of-place woman with the pink hair. "You's goin to pay fer'em, ma'am? That'ses awfully grac'us of you, missus."

"I know. I should just let you call the authorities on them, but... I owe him. Hina despair."

"Tha' kid... he reminder'd me of somein' who stop here a while back..."

"Oh?" The woman took a sip of her drink, then slid a few Beli across the counter. "Who did he remind you of? Hina curious."

The bartender slipped the tip into his apron, then smiled at the woman. "Well, ya'see, I don't member much'un him, cept one big thing. He had this here weird face-tattoothingy, all alon' the side of the bloke's head..."

* * *

_A lil' bit a north of here _was a little bit of an understatement. That, or Zoro's horrible sense of direction had infected them both. Either way, it took them nearly all day to locate the cave, which was nestled a good ways up in the forests north of Destar. And once they were there... 

Zoro yawned, then promptly sat down. A few yards away, Smoker had already passed out under an evergreen, snoring lightly. "L-L-Luffy... Go on ahead, I'm pretty tired. We'll keep... keep... wa..." His chin hit his chest, and after a moment, the both of them were fast asleep. Luffy glanced back and forth between the two, then frowned. _Something's wrong here_, his mind tried to tell him.

"Alright. I'll just look in the cave alone then." He swallowed nervously, then looked at the cave again. _Why does it feel so wrong? And why are those two suddenly so tired? And what's that voice..._ Luffy shook his head, brushing away the random thoughts that seemed to hold him back. "Yosh! Mystery Cave! Mystery Cave!" He chanted, and without looking back, entered the dark hole.

An hour passed, then two. Finally, Zoro sat up, rubbing the corners of his eyes. _That was a good nap..._ Looking to his left, he caught sight of Smoker stretching and pulling himself up off the forest floor. "What... What happened?"

Smoker turned at the sound of his voice, reaching for his jitte without even realizing it. "Oh. It's just you." A pause. "I have no idea what happened. The last thing I remember was wanting to go to sleep immediately. Where's Luffy?"

"Yo." Both men looked toward the cave in time to see their captain slowly walk out, the setting sun throwing his face into shadows. "I found something in the cave." At this, he gestured at the dark rectangle he was holding, seemingly a box of some sorts.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you had fun" Zoro commented, dusting himself off. "But, it's getting late. We should head back to the ship soon. Hopefully Nami didn't run off with the Going Merry."

"Would she really steal an entire ship? From her own nakama?" Smoker's left eyebrow slid up, a doubtful expression on his face.

"Yeah" "Nah" Zoro and Luffy answered at once. They exchanged looks, then burst out laughing while the older man gritted his teeth. _Kids these days..._

"Let me explain" Zoro stopped snickering, then began the hike back down. "See, before we met you two at Loguetown, we were sailing around in the East Sea..." As he reminisced on how they all met, the three men walked south, watching the sun sink below the trees on their right. Shortly after, the stars found their way into the sky, joining the moon in it's trip across the horizon. Miraculously, with Zoro leading, they made it back to the docks, then to the ship shortly after.

"And just where have you three been all day?!" Nami yelled, marching up to the three as they climbed aboard. "You were out drinking, weren't you?? Jesus, men..." Shaking her head, she strode back over to her seat beside Robin.

"We were out gathering information" Smoker responded, staring at the two. "And what did _you_ get accomplished?"

"Nami, Tashigi and I went shopping this morning, and most of the afternoon."

"Oi, that sounds very productive..."

"Shut it, Zoro. I'll have _you _know, thanks to _us,_ you idiots have somewhere new to sleep!" Nami shook her head, then jerked a thumb towards the sleeping quarters: Zoro didn't need to be told twice. He walked over, popped the hatch open, and climbed down. Several seconds later, the snoring noises coming from below deck seemed to increase a notch. "I found out that one of the stores here sold bunk beds, so I got us four, three for you guys and one for Robin and Tashigi to share in my bedroom."

"How'd you get that many beds up onto the ship with just the three of you?"

Nami shook her forefinger at Smoker, then sat down. "I had Sanji and Chopper help, since you bums were all out..." she stopped, then looked at Luffy, who hadn't said a word this whole time. "Luffy? Where were you guys today?"

"I'm going to bed. Good night, you three. And thanks for the new bed, Nami-san" With that, Robin stood up and walked off to Nami's quarters to sleep.

Luffy walked forward, finally coming up to the table Nami was still sitting at. For a moment or two he didn't move, and she found herself holding her breath in anticipation. _Something's not right._ Then, he spoke.

"Smoker. I allowed you to join us. I allowed Tashigi to join us. You are my nakama now." Pausing finally, Luffy set the wooden box down on the table, and stiffly sat down. "And yet, you're not telling me what you know."

Nami's eyes darted between the two. _Not telling Luffy what he knows?_ "H-hey, what's this all about?"

Smoker nodded, and leaned back against the railing, the cigars in his mouth the only part of him visible in the moonlight. "I figured it would come to this. Very well, then. Ask me what you want to know."

"Tell me..." Luffy paused again, and Nami could tell he was struggling to keep his voice even for some reason. "Tell me about Monkey D Dragon. Tell me what you know about my father."

_Luffy's father?!_ Nami's mind screamed at her, and if she hadn't clasped her hand over her mouth, she probably would have screamed it too. _Why didn't he menti-_

Smoker's voice cut through her thoughts, sharp and clear in the brisk air. "The Revolutionary, Monkey D Dragon. Age: Unknown. Race: Human. Location captured: Loguetown. Current location: Impel Down."

"L-loguetown?!" Nami sputtered, trying to make sense of the information the former Marine had just spouted. "That's where we met you, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. The same evening you guys and that clown showed up, that was. He was caught and apprehended after the storm that blew through there. Then, after th-"

Luffy cut him off. "What's Impel Down?"

Smoker stared at the boy, then shook his head. "It's an underwater prison. Made for holding people who've ate Devil Fruits, especially the Logia-type. If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, it's impossible. No one has ever escaped from that pla-"

Again, Luffy overrode him. "And where is it?"

"It's below Enies Lobby, the headquarters of Cipher Pol."

Nami managed to find her voice long enough to ask Smoker another question; "Isn't that where you were heading? Before we took you in?"

"Yeah." He ground out the two cigars on the rail, then tossed them down into the shallow water below. "It's the largest World Government base this side of the Grand Line. I've been there once myself, Tashigi has, too." Lighting two fresh cigars, Smoker inhaled deeply, then blew the smoke upwards, the white plumes a sharp contrast to the black sky. "Do you want to go there?"

"No." Luffy shook his head, then nodded to himself. "I can't go there. Not yet. There's someplace else he wants me to go... He left me a letter, in that cave."

Nami eyed the wooden box. "Was it in there? What did it say?"

"I didn't read it yet. Too dark in the cave, anyways." Luffy attacked the lamp on the table and a minute later finally managed to get it lit. Smoker had already finished his two cigars, and told them both he was going to bed. As the hatch to the sleeping quarters shut, Luffy opened the simple box. Inside there was a letter, and something else, a bulge under the paper. Luffy lifted the letter out, and she gasped in surprise.

"Luffy, look! It's a shell!" Without thinking, Nami reached into the box. As her hand hit the shell, the pinnacle of the spiral slipped downwards a fraction of an inch, the subtle _click!_ barely audible above the night noises. And the, a second later, it began to _speak._

_"Luffy, if you are hearing this, let me first tell you that this is your fa-" _before the voice could get any further, the boy being addressed slapped his hand down on the shell, cutting off the speech in a sharp _click!_ "I already listened to that thing in the cave. That's how I knew Smoker was holding something back." Luffy sighed, and Nami struggled not to reach out and grab onto one of his hands, just to provide some sort of comfort.

"What about the letter? What does the letter say?"

He set the faded slip of paper on the table for her to read, holding it flat with one hand. Leaning over, Nami felt her heart speed up as she found herself inches from Luffy. However, she turned to the paper, and read the few lines that were written.

_Fifth day from Feras, the sun has yet to sing it's course _

_When the sky has sunken low, and the waters churn below_

_Cast a tune, then as a loon, seek the water's eye!_

_Do not vary, on contrary, sail the ocean high!_

_New rising sun will shine forever, all your power strong as steel!_

_Turn the page and seek no saviour!_

_Break free and see the line through the wheel._

_-Paps_

"Luffy... What does that last line mean?" she managed to whisper, still staring at the poem-ish note before her. When he didn't respond, she glanced back up at him, wondering if he had heard her.

"Paps? Oh..." His head drooped, and Nami felt the waves of emotion roll off of him. "That's what I used to call him. Back when him and... And..." Suddenly, Luffy stood up, and walked around her, heading for the front of the ship. After tucking the note and the shell back into the box, Nami shut it softly and followed him out to the bow of the Going Merry.

They stood together in almost complete silence, and if the dark sky above them had been growing lighter by the minute, it would have been the same as the first morning he had found her out here all alone, shivering from the cold. _Only, it wasn't cold she was feeling_ Luffy's mind insisted._ It was..._ "Nami... Do you remember your parents?"

The girl being addressed shook her head, her hair spilling out across her face with the movement, covering it in shadows. "No, I don't... I don't r-remember them at all. T-the first thing I remember as a child was... was..." Her voice failed her, and Nami tried to fight the tears that stung her eyes. What Luffy said next made her lose that fight.

"I remember him leaving me, leaving me alone, and he gave me one of those speaking shells, and told me... Told me, '_Hey, kiddo, Daddy's going out to sea, you keep yourself as busy as a bee, alright-ey_?' and gave me a speaky shell _and he didn't come back, and then I _forgot,_ I forgot what the speaky-shell said!_" By the time Luffy finished speaking, she could hear the tears in his voice. But, as she looks to his face, expecting to see those tears, the ones she can hear, what really breaks her heart, what really tears at her inside, is that his face is bone-dry. Not a single drop has escaped the ovals she finds herself staring at more and more often lately, not one wet line down his cheek to tell her that Luffy is letting that sadness out, all the sorrow and pain she hears when he speaks of a shell his father gave him long ago.

"_Luffy_..." she begins, and gets no farther. Because now, the tears do come, _her _tears, tears for a broken past, a lost keepsake, parents that were never there, parents that left too soon, _everything._ It all comes pouring out, all at once, leaving her shaking, gasping for breath. It's a wonder she doesn't collapse, with how weak her knees feel. And then, just as she thinks that she can't take it anymore, that it's just too great a weight to hold up on her own, he's there. _Luffy._

He wraps his arms around her, arms that have been covered in blood, dust, mud, sand, snow, water, arms that have struck down all that stood against them. She buries her face in his chest, and as her tears soak through his shirt, she has time to think, _this hug changes it all_ and _his chest feels so warm_ and _that beating is his _heart,_ I can hear his heart_ before a wave of mixed emotions, a _tidal wave_ of feelings pushes it all away. For a few moments, or minutes, or hours, all there is to her world is the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and the sound of his heart in her ears. Eventually, the tears stop, and the shaking resides. And still he holds her.

Then, slowly, he rests his own chin on top of her head. And takes a deep breath. In a voice barely above a whisper, he speaks four words, four simple words that change the future, as simple things are apt to do. "You smell like oranges."

For a moment, she forgets to even breathe as a realization washes over her: _He knew about the hand-holding all along!_ Then, she's smiling. And as she smiles, she can feel Luffy's mouth curve upwards into one of his own ear-to-ear grins. A moment later, they both start shaking. Then giggling. Then all-out, no holds barred laughing. As absurd as it is, after a moment's thought, she can't even begin to think of why they should be laughing. What was once a tearful night has abruptly taken a turn for the better. And as she rests her head against his chest, hearing his heart beating in her ears, in her body, in her _mind,_ she says the first words that come to mind. "Thank you."

"You're welcome" Luffy replies, then buries his face in her orange hair, hair that smells faintly of the fruit it shares a color with. A moment later, Nami feels him sigh, and knows that he has fallen asleep while leaning on her, his arms still wrapped around her, and thus pinning her against him. And although he's a bit heavy, she's glad for the weight. If he wasn't there, perhaps her mind would fly away this time. _But..._ she thought, still smiling, _he _is _my wings. He's a weight against himself. _ And she knows that although it's a little confusing, it's also undoubtfully true.

* * *

**Finishing Notes: **Well, another chapter done, folks, and I must say, this one was a blast to write. I hope I did that last part the justice it deserves, and if I didn't, there's always the next Chapter to set things right. I wrote the first few paragraphs with no idea what exactly I was thinking about , but it all came out in time, thankfully. I got this chapter done on a day off from work, so don't expect anything more from me until the weekend, at least (And happy July 4th, even though it's really 1 AM right now here). But yeah, I wanted a way to send the Straw Hats to Skypiea without following the storyline word-for-word, so I did some quick thinking and came up with the seed I planted in this Chapter. Luffy's father left him a riddle, but will they be able to solve it in time? And if they do, where will it lead? I won't promise all the answers, but I will promise a new Chapter. And that, Constant Reader, is a promise you can hold me to. 

PS: Yes, I know, Luffy doesn't _really_ have repressed feelings towards his father, who isn't _really_ trapped in Impel Down, but alas, I have my reasons for this madness. And really, I like the way he handled that situation: he didn't break down and start bawling, which proves how bad-ass he is. Or how much I think he is. Something like that. And here's a little more brain-food for you: What if he didn't _want_ to remember the message his father left for him? Luffy's always the bright, cheerful captain, so it seems plausible on some level that he would have a few skeletons rolling around in his closet, with that sort of attitude. Anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself. I do have a feeling that this'll be a breaking point for this fan fiction: I'll either lose you or hook you, depending on how you feel about this one.

Look forward to **Chapter 4: The Speaking Shell** sometime this weekend!


	4. The Speaking Shell

**One Piece: Sail On (The Grand Line)**

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter Five. Just kidding! Check out Chapter One.

**Author's Note:** Well, welcome to another chapter folks, glad to have you back. Now, I do remember saying that I was sending Luffy and company to Skypiea, and that I didn't want to follow the storyline to the letter. Let me explain my reasoning behind this: this is an AU fanfiction. The key letter being A, the word it represents being 'alternate'. I tend to keep the characters in, well, character, as much as possible, simply because changing them makes the story less of what it's supposed to be, if you know what I mean. However, that doesn't mean that a little constructive plot work isn't a good thing. I love One Piece, really, but I'm not going to write a story that follows the anime/manga word by word while just changing/inventing dialog. So, let me say this: if you want One Piece, go watch One Piece. If you're here for the love of a story, the feeling of satisfaction that you get from reading a long tale to it's end, then pull up a chair my friend. Because this tale isn't one you should read on your feet.

PS: I love all the new One Piece wallpapers I've found. Not only does it give me something to look at while I'm not writing, it also gives me costume ideas for the Straw Hats. Mmm... Nami in a two-piece, sunbathing... Think Luffy would drool at that sight? Yeah, you're right, maybe if she was holding a slab of ribs at the time... Heh, I'm rambling again. She did go shopping, though. Beds weren't the only thing she picked up, believe me.

**Chapter Four: The Speaking Shell**

"... And then, he fell asleep!" Nami giggled, then promptly hid her face behind a pillow. Tashigi and Robin, who had been sitting on the end of the navigator's bed listening to her recall last night's events, looked at each other. Robin make a drinking motion, then shrugged, tilting her head to one side. Tashigi nodded, then held up two fingers while pointing at Nami: one for her, and one for the navigator. As the older woman left to make coffee, Nami finally managed to show her face.

"Well... Do you think he'll act differently around you, Nami-chan, now that he's opened up to you?"

"I don't know." She placed the pillow back where it belonged, then turned to Tashigi. "You can never tell. One minute he's serious, and you think you're getting through that thick rubber skull of his, and the next minute he's running around without a clue in the world. I mean, we've been close for a while now. While I was sick, he was there for me. He risked his life trying to find me a doctor. Yet, whenever I get him alone, he doesn't even seem to notice than I'm... Well..." Nami looked down at her modestly-rounded chest, then shrugged. "I mean come on, has he even hit puberty yet? Sheese."

The girl sitting before her laughed quietly, then patted Nami's leg beneath the blanket. "I know what you mean, trust me. Only for me, it wasn't about love. It was recognition I wanted..." Tashigi sighed, then mimed Nami's shrug. "I joined the Navy to uphold Justice. It sickened me that there were so many evil-hearted people in the world, and that all the fair things had fallen into their hands. I wanted to do something about it. And what do I get? They treat me like I'm a child. I was assigned secretary duties for the first two years. I got to sit at a desk and watch officers stare at my chest. Then, Smoker-kun came along and took me under his wing..." She smiled, then stood up. "And now, I'm on a pirate ship that doesn't even seen to adhere to a sexual code. Life's funny, isn't it?"

Nami nodded, then grinned. "Oh, if it's love you're looking for, Sanji'll stir you up something right away, don't you worry."

Tashigi looked stricken. "Does he always flirt that much? I mean, that first day, I just thought he was being polite... But he's been at it for a week now! I can't even walk around without him swooning at my feet. He's a disaster."

"I know, I know. Just stick near Smoker, that'll scare him off. Now, if only he'd spare me while I'm with Luffy..." Nami gritted her teeth in frustration. "I can barely get a word in without him showing up beside me. That cretin!" She punched her bed in anger, then smoothed out the sheets. "Some days, I almost hope Robin would just save me..."

"Save you from what?" The woman being mentioned inquired, having appeared in the doorway. She held three still-steaming cups of coffee, a feat made easy by an extra arm sprouting from her elbow. After handing Tashigi and Nami one, she sat down at the end of the bed, in the same spot Tashigi had vacated a moment ago.

"Oh, you know, from Sanji? He seems to like you... Well, you're female, so I'm sure he'd just _love_ to cook you something _special_."

Tashigi laughed as Robin's face mirrored her own stricken expression not a minute ago. "N-no, I don't think I could... He's much too... flamboyant? For my tastes, anyways."

Nami laughed, then nudged Robin with her toes, making sure not to spill the hot coffee the both of them held. "Oh, so you're saying he's _gay?_" A moment later Tashigi nearly dropped her drink from laughing too hard.

"Erm... Well, he does have a certain 'air' about him... And did you notice how much he provokes Zoro? It's as if he wants the attention." Robin took a sip of coffee, then sighed. "Something about that bothers me. Most of the time the antagonist is Sanji, Zoro rarely ever provokes cook-san into an argument."

The navigator was silent for a moment, then pulled her feet back and swung them to the side of the bed, exposing the only article of clothing she had on: a pair of white cotton panties. Standing, she turned towards the two at last. And both of them froze. Robin knew that sadistic smile from anywhere: Nami was plotting something. And although Tashigi hadn't known her for long, she knew that whatever was on Nami's mind couldn't be good. That malicious grin seemed more at home on Zoro's face than it did on hers. "I've got an idea. Something to keep us three busy and... well, busy. Let me explain a little. I think that each of us needs a challenge." As she slipped her bra on, Nami nodded towards Tashigi. "Since you want to prove that you're an equal amongst equals, you need to be seen that way. Your task: get that love-cook Sanji to start treating us with a little more respect, instead of that lovey-dovey crap he pulls."

The girl nearly choked on a mouthful of warm coffee. "W-what?! First, you give me advice on how to avoid him, now you want me to change him? I've seen how he acts, Nami, I doubt I could break through that sexist brain of his."

Nami smiled sweetly, a severe contrast to her previous sneer. "Well, that's the challenge, isn't it? And besides... I'll be giving Robin and I tasks that are just as impossible, if not more so." Spotting a clean shirt, she bent to pick it up and slipped into it. Robin, meanwhile. kept silent: whatever Nami had on her mind, it couldn't be good. "As for me, I'd have to say that I'm a little tired of navigating this ship all the time. I can't count the number of nights I fell asleep at the helm instead of in my nice, warm bed. My own challenge: teach Luffy at least the basics of reading maps. And compasses. And maybe a little bit of navigating via stars, too."

Robin nodded in surprise. The girl hadn't gone easy on herself, as she first expected she would. "That is indeed a challenge. Our captain has a sense of direction nearly as bad, if not worse, than Zoro's. At least he knows when he's lost; Luffy has no clue where he is all the time, making getting lost a moot point. Very well, then. What is my challenge, navigator-san?"

"Well, it's funny you mention Zoro..." Nami was silent for a minute, pondering just what would improve the thick-skulled swordsman the most. Then, it hit her. "Robin-chan! Your challenge will be... To get that idiot interested in something besides swords. I don't care if it's stargazing, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, anything!" She nodded, then patted the older girl on the shoulder. "Out of all of us, I'd say you've got the worse task. Good luck!"

Tashigi laughed, then took another sip of coffee. She knew what Nami was doing, why she was starting this little 'challenge'. It was quite obvious that all three of the men involved were hopeless causes in some way or another, and they were to work on improving that. Really, it was just a plan to make life easier for the females aboard. _Sounds good to me_ she thought, a smile forming on her face. "Alright, I'm in. My challenge: to get the 'love-cook' to keep it in his pants while he's around us."

The archaeologist smiled herself, then nodded. "This sounds fair to me. My challenge: to get Zoro to stop moaning about his swords in his sleep."

Nami stared at Robin. "Does he really do that?" Then, before the older girl could elaborate, she shook her head. "No, never mind, I don't really want to know." Sighing, she pulled a short skirt up past her knees, buttoning it snugly around her slim waist. "Alright. My challenge: To teach Luffy how to navigate." She stuck out her nearly empty coffee cup, and after a moment, the two girls followed suit, the soft _clink!_ barely audible over the shouting above deck. Another long day was just beginning.

* * *

"I don't think anybody asked for your opinion on the matter, marimo-head. Shouldn't you be off playing with your swords?" Sanji took a drag from his ever-present cigarette, then tossed the butt over the side of the ship, into the shallows. Luffy was sitting in the same spot he had occupied last night, the box open in front of him. Usopp had already borrowed the 'speaking shell' and ran off to his work area to study it, while Chopper was currently reading through the note again, his furry brow furrowed in concentration. Zoro and Sanji were doing what they seemed to do best: pissing each other off. 

"Tch. Shouldn't you be in washing dishes or something? A good cook cooks, he doesn't wander around trying to get his say in" Zoro retorted, then leaned against the railing, already regretting he had taken time off from training to come down and see what all the ruckus was about. "And besides, I was just making a suggestion. Our captain's the one who decides what we do, and that's all."

"What would you know about cooking, you shitty sword-swinger?" the man took out a fresh cigarette and tucked it securely into the corner of his mouth before speaking again. "Should I tell them about why you really named your attacks the way you did? Hmm?" Having lit the cigarette while he was talking, Sanji stopped to take a drag, then let the smoke billow out as he continued. "I'm sure Luffy would love it! All this time you've been using that, and come to find out..." He shook his head, appearing to be disgusted. "I'm going to work on lunch. Tell me how the suggestion works out, Marimo." Chuckling, Sanji turned around and walked up the short staircase, heading for the kitchen. As he reached the door, however, the swordman's voice traveled up to him from the lower level.

"Shut up" Zoro mumbled, his head hung low, hidden in the shadows cast by the early afternoon sun. "I don't need to take that crap from you. And besides..." He straightened up, the shadows falling away to reveal a sneer so blood-thirsty it almost dimmed the sunlight revealing his face. "Don't throw stones in a glass house."

"... the hell you say?"

"You heard me. Or, should I speak louder?" Zoro cleared his throat, then smiled. "Okama Way."

Sanji flinched as if slapped, then bowed his head, looking defeated. "Lunch will be done in an hour or so." And with that, he disappeared into the kitchen, silent as a ghost.

"Yo, Zoro. What was that about?"

He shook his head at Luffy, then sat down in his usual spot by the mast. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing" was the only response he offered before promptly falling asleep. Chopper finished reading the note for perhaps the sixth time, then handed it back to Luffy. "I think it says five days away from Feras in that first line, but it doesn't say what direction to go."

Pushing his straw hat back, the boy nodded. "Yosh. So, it's a Mystery Place then!"

"Y-yeah... Did that weird shell say anything about it, Luffy-san?"

"Nope. Not a word. Oh well... We're following the Log Pose. If Paps wanted to send me somewhere, he should have given me better directions than that!" Luffy laughed, then slipped the note back in the box, shutting it firmly. His reindeer/human friend nodded; that was the only choice they had, really. The note could have been referring to any direction, or combination of such, and surely to try and follow directions that vague was asking for failure, or worse. The Grand Line was an unforgiving sea, after all.

Nami finally stepped out of the female sleeping quarters, smoothing out the last few wrinkles in her white sleeveless shirt. She shaded her eyes with one hand as the other held the coffee cup from earlier. Walking softly over to the table that Luffy was seated at, she pulled up Robin's usual chair and slipped comfortably into it, relishing the feeling of the sun warming her exposed arms and legs.

Her eyes slipped shut, and for a moment or two, the world disappeared. Then, that familiar tingling feeling began. _He's looking at me._ As goosebumps sprung up along her arms, Nami knew the feeling for what it was: Luffy was staring at her again. "Nami?" She twitched, then debated with herself about whether or not he had heard her thinking about him. However, after opening her eyes, the girl being spoken to knew her first feelings were the right ones; at least: he _was_ staring at her.

"Hmm?"

Luffy looked away, then fiddled with his hat for a moment. Nami, after watching him for so long, knew what that simple movement signified. _What's he nervous about?_ she pondered, keeping her gaze on the boy. After a moment, his eyes met hers, his cheeks slightly flushed, and finally smiled, giving her another one of his heart-melting ear to ear grins. "You look good today."

The navigator's heart skipped a few beats. _I did get through to him!_ "Hehe, thank you Luffy. How did you sleep last night?"

Before the captain could answer, Robin finally appeared, and Luffy had to explain to her what they found the previous evening. He related what his plans were to the both of them, and Nami found herself smiling. _He improved that much overnight?_ It was hard to believe, but a lot of things were. The archaeologist noticed the looks the girl was giving their captain, and found herself smiling as well, infected by the goodwill coming off the two of them. "Nami-chan, what direction is the Log Pose pointing towards? It should have set by now, if Smoker's information was correct."

"Well, let's see..." Nami twisted her wrist around, so the Pose secured to the underside of her arm was facing upward. "According to this thing, we need to..." The girl shook her head as if to clear it, then looked back. A few moments later she repeated the process, shaking her arm this time instead. "N-no... That can't be right. That's i-impossible..."

"Hmm?" Luffy eyed the orb holding the Log, then tilted his head, mimicking one of Robin's common movements. "Nami, why is it crooked?"

"It's not crooked." Robin startled them both by speaking aloud. She hovered above Nami's shoulder for a second, staring down at the Log Pose. "It's simply pointing up."

"Does that mean that we have to climb a mountain on an island or something?" Luffy's voice mirrored Nami's unspoken confusion.

"No. It doesn't matter where you are on an island, simply that you are inside the magnetic field that island generates. And besides..." Robin eyed the horizon the Pose was headed towards. "We're a long ways away from the next island. It would have to be a really, really high mountain, to say the least."

"Well, that must mean that the island's in the sky." Zoro's voice made all three of them jump and turn, finally noticing that the previously sleeping swordsman was now standing beside Robin. "I mean, that's the only option left, right?"

"I think the Pose broke... It took a beating when I fought Miss Doublefinger" Nami mused, eyeing the device carefully. "Remember how easy the first one broke?"

"No." The archaeologist shook her head, then laid her hands on Nami's shoulders. "It's not broke. If it is, we're much worse off than just a misdirection. In all my time on this ocean, I have learned one rule that never changes: Always trust the Log Pose. If it's pointing skyward, then... To the sky we shall go, one way or another." She turned around and made a beeline for her study. "I'll go see what I can find out about this phenomenon. Zoro, would you please come give me a hand?"

"Hmph. I guess." _Why would she need my hands when she could just make more of her own? Sheese, women._

After the two had left, Nami found herself alone with Luffy again. And although he wasn't grinning with the same ferocity as earlier, she still nearly felt the warmth of his smile. _God, does he know what he's doing to me?_ For a moment or two she resisted the urge to blush, then finally gave in. "S-so, what do we do now, captain?"

He looked at her for a few more seconds, then finally turned his gaze to the sea, a bright blue expanse before them. "Yosh. We set sail for Mystery Sky Island!"

"I should have expected something like that" Nami shrugged, then nodded. "So, is Sanji done with lunch yet? I'm famished."

* * *

Two days managed to pass without incident, and the crew found themselves relaxing, taking in the calm summer-orientated weather. Well, taking in would be an understatement for some. Nami in particular was simply_ lavishing _in it. 

For one, it gave her a reason to test out a couple of other 'necessities' she had purchased in Feras. The three two-piece swimsuits she had managed to haggle the shopkeep out of were vitally important to building up a good solid tan again. Although there was plenty of sun in Alabasta, she had spent most of her time covered up to avoid the scorching glare and stinging sands of the desert island. Ugh, and riding that camel... Her rear hurt just thinking about the days spent trudging along on that beast's back. It had been like sitting on a rock with legs. A rock that spit and helped serve dinner at the feast they had...

Secondly, and most importantly, was Luffy. Of course, this was just the first stage in her plans for the boy; (or so she rationalized to herself) if she was to teach him to read a map, he needed to focus on her. And not just in the 'Nami's lecturing me, so I have to look like I'm paying attention for a few moments, then wander off to find something to punch/sleep on/eat' way.

She knew how his mind worked. And thus, she knew that drastic measures must be taken in order to achieve success. The carrot-on-a-stick trick only worked until your charge ate the carrot, string and all, so the choke-chain seemed a more rational choice. Find something she could wrap around his neck, and when the time came to get him to do what she wanted him to do... Why, just give a few little jerks.

"Luffy, you j-jerk! Y-your hands are freezing!" Nami managed to sputter, wiggling around in her designated sunbathing chair. She was stretched out, lying on her stomach while the boy beside her sat upright on a small footstool, a confused look plastered to his face. _Really, is he _that_ dense?_ "You're touching my bare skin with your hands. Warm them up. Now."

As Nami watched Luffy rub his palms together, a serious expression quickly replacing the confused one, she couldn't help but smile. _He looks so cute when he's serious._ Her smile slipped for a moment, and she settled back down onto the chair. _When he isn't trying to kill someone._ The faltering smile was swapped for a grin, and her cheeks even managed to add their own color to the mix. _He just looks sexy then._

"Y-yosh!" Luffy nodded, then grabbed the bottle of suntan lotion besides him. "But, Nami... Why am I doing this again? Isn't this Sanji's usual task?"

"How about you just be quiet and make with the lotioning?" _And besides... That pervert would probably try to undo my top like he did the last time. _For a moment, she almost expected him to ask again, adding a whine to his voice, a usual indication that he didn't want to do whatever she was trying to force him into doing. However, in an extremely un-like Luffy way, he actually listened to her for once.

Shock swept into her body as his hands lightly flowed across her spine, spreading a cool wetness from one end of her to the other. It was swiftly replaced with warmth, however, as the hands she had held tentatively every chance she got spread the wetness even more, until every exposed bit of flesh felt the flutter of his fingers.

Her tensed shoulders soon melted in response to a gentle rubbing that began at the nape of her neck, slowly moving outwards and down, until she cound feel his palms rubbing against the bottom of her shoulder-blades. _Does he even know the difference between applying suntan and giving a massage?! _Her mind tried to fight off the thoughts and feelings tumbling around, but her body would have none of that. This was something that felt too good to resist.

"A-am I doing it right?" Luffy eyed Nami's backside as he spoke, his voice full of hesitation. _She's making moaning noises... Doesn't that mean she's in pain? _His hands paused at the thought, and she managed a small sigh.

"You're... doing wonderful..." Stringing coherent words together was almost beyond the navigator's ability at the moment. _You know... He doesn't know better. And it's Luffy we're talking about here! This could be the perfect choke-chain_. "Hey, Luffy?"

The boy glanced up from his hands, which were covered in some sort of screening cream, something about the sun... And whatever it was, it wasn't helping too much. His fingers were heating up for some strange reason, and the palms they were attached to were already quite warm. "Hmm?"

Nami glanced up at him, then smiled sweetly. "You can go on, if you want to. Just... Keep doing what you were doing to my shoulders, okay?" _Maybe I could convince him to massage a few other body parts..._ Her cheeks lit up at the thought, and she laid back down, burying her burning face in the cushion of the chair.

"Y-yosh..." Luffy felt her back arch as his fingers contacted, and then her body seemed to relax as he made his way down from her shoulders to the sides of her ribcage. Every now and then a tremor passed through the flesh below his fingers, but judging by the happy sighs that accompanied them, Luffy knew that he wasn't harming his nakama. _That doesn't explain the moans..._ his brain argued, as Luffy's hands brushed against the back strap of her bathing suit. _But, she was smiling earlier, so it's alright, right? _As he heard her moan again, a small smile flipped the corners of his own mouth up: Nami's moans were a good thing. They meant he was doing what he was supposed to be doing.

* * *

_This is ridiculous. And boring. And why would someone own this many books? How would you read them all? Wouldn't you die of boredom before then?_ Zoro sighed, pausing in the act of shuffling through another stack of textbooks close to the spot he had chosen to sit at. Robin stood off to his left, looking through a thick volume from some unknown author. Spotting a large volume with some sort of map on it, the swordsman grabbed the book and opened the cover, only to shut it a moment later, grimacing. All those foreign words were really starting to piss him off. 

"Find anything interesting, Zoro-san?"

"Nope. Just a bunch of gibberish." Zoro tossed the book back into the stack he had extracted it from. "This is getting us nowhere. We've been searching for three days now, and nothing's come of it. Maybe there's nothing written down about getting a ship to fly?"

Robin laughed quietly, then set down the textbook she was reading. "All these books are from the past, written by men and women who've explored the Grand Line. Unless this phenomenon is an unknown event, then it must be written here. It is that simple."

"Well, what if it is new? What if no one else ever tried to find a damn island in the sky?"

"Well, if that's the case..." Robin smiled at him, then tilted her head to the side. "We'll get to make history."

"Hmph." Casting his eyes about, Zoro spotted a book he had flipped through earlier. He managed to stretch out and receive it without moving, and promptly opened it again. "Do you know what really gets me? What makes this all seem pointless?"

"Hmm?"

"All of these books, all the people that wrote them... They're all dead, aren't they?"

The archaeologist stopped skimming the page she was studying, and looked up. "Yes. They're all as much a part of history as their writings are. In the end, the only way to show what you have accomplished in your life is by recording it. Humans are mortal. Words, however, last forever."

"Is that so?" The man besides her turned another page, tracing his fingers across the text. "I think... that that's bullshit."

Robin's hands trembled for a moment, the malevolence in his voice running through her body like electricity, setting off muscles and senses in it's wake. "Why... Why do you say that?"

Zoro looked up from the book in his hands, locking eyes with the older girl before him. "We did something in Alabasta. Yet, it will never be written of. The only thing that remains of it are the people we saved, and us." He shut the book firmly, then dropped it back into the pile, where it landed with a soft _thump._ "How many times have you read about the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk?"

"I..." She searched her vast photographic memory, and came up with a blank. "Never."

"That's what I thought. I heard of him from one of those 'mortal humans'. And on the day that I defeat that man, there will not be anybody there writing it all down so hundreds of years later someone can study me like I'm some sort of strange fish."

"B-but..." Robin looked away, and waved a hand at the books around her. "Do you not want to be a part of this world's history? To have your name remembered ages after you are gone? Is that not why you strive so hard to achieve your goal?"

"I don't care about being remembered." Zoro's soft voice drew her eyes to him as he spoke, her surprise barely masked. "I made a promise to someone I knew when I was younger. It was a promise to myself, in a way." He smiled slightly, his face hidden partially from view by the shadows cast by his hair. "I don't live to be known. I live for my own dream." Another pause, and Robin found herself leaning forward, eager to hear what he had to say next about himself. "And besides, all these idiots are long gone, like you said. Who wants to become well-known after they're already dead?"

She laughed gently, forgetting to cover her mouth for once. "Is that so, Zoro? Well, in that case, I shall be your audience. As well as the rest of your nakama, of course."

"Tch." The swordsman reached over and snatched another book off of a pile besides him, and opened it. When Robin didn't sense any movement for perhaps a minute, curiousity brought her out of studying to sneak a glance at Zoro. He was sitting on the floor a few feet from her, and for a moment, she almost thought he had stopped breathing. _What's he concentrating so intensely upon?_ Another glance got her the answer; he was staring at an open book resting in his lap.

"Did you find something?" Her inquiry seemed to snap him out of his paralyzed state, and his eyes met hers once more. What she saw in those spheres, she could not describe in words, despite the extent of her vocabulary. What she was seeing was something awakening within the boy, some form of awareness, seemingly alive and... _intelligent?_

"Yeah." Zoro held up the book in his lap, and Robin was able to make out a picture of two katanas, crossed over each other to form an X, before he set the book back down. "I... can't read the language it's written in. But, something about it... Draws me to it. Like a whisper..." He looked up at her, and the pleading look in his face made her hesitate to speak. Before she got a chance, there was a shout from outside, followed by a loud _thunk._ Zoro sprang to his feet immediately, and by the time he made it to the door, she already had it open for him. As they ran outside into the salty ocean air, there was another yell.

"H-h-holy shit! We're all g-g-gonna die!"

"Was that Usopp's voice?" Robin mused, looking around. "Perhaps he saw another Sea King."

A moment later, Nami and Luffy both burst out of her study, looking around wildly. When they spotted Zoro and Robin doing the same, the two ran over.

"Robin-chan, what was that?!"

"It sounded like Usopp screaming for help."

"Hmph. He's probably over-reacting again."

"Maybe he saw our Mystery Sky Island!"

A second later the spoken-of liar/marksman ran down the staircase near the kitchen, nearly colliding with the four standing below. As they waited for him to catch his breath, everyone stared at him. "I-i-it's... It's the end of the world! We... we..." The boy fell to the ground, moaning weakly.

"Usopp, what is it? Did you see the island in the sky?!"

At the word _sky_ the figure before them twitched violently, then slowly sat up. "Sky... Sky! It's in the sky!!"

Nami sighed, shaking her head. "Well, yeah, 'sky island' is kind of a giveaway, baka."

"N-n-no... Not a-an island... **THAT!**" He pointed above their heads, his finger trembling in fear. A few moments went by in utter silence, save for the rasping, haggard breath of their nakama sitting on the deck. Then, everyone started speaking at once.

"T-that's... impossible!"

"What in the world?!"

"This looks like trouble."

"Wow! It's so big!"

Smoker appeared above them, having left the kitchen to investigate all the yelling outside. "Oi, oi. Can't a man eat his lunch in peace?"

"Look, Smoker-san! There's something in the sky!" Luffy mimicked Usopp's act of pointing, a grin already spreading across his face. "It's huge, isn't it?!"

The ex-Marine followed the boy's finger upwards, and what he saw made his knees weak. _That's not possible!_ his mind protested, attempting to rationalize the situation. _It must be a mirage, or a trick, there's no way that _that_ could be in the sky!_

"It's upside down though. I wonder why..."

Nami turned to Luffy, who was once again staring upwards. "Baka! If it's falling... falling... f-falling down..." She stammered, as the reality of it all hit her. _Usopp was right. We're all going to die._

"Huh?" Luffy looked at their navigator, who was pale from shock. "I don't get it. Why is the ship in the sky falling?"

* * *

**Finishing Notes: **Sorry about taking so long to update, faithful readers. Real life decided to throw me for a loop, to say the least, so I had to postpone work on the story several times. As of right now, I'm typing with more than five blisters on my hands alone, three of them torn open. I blame all spelling errors on them! Evil, evil little buggers. Anyways, another chapter has come and gone, and once again I find myself liking where my pairings are going. I'm trying to take things step by step, since I myself hate rushed relationships in fanfictions. _Chapter One: Luffy and Nami are star-gazing. Chapter Two: Luffy takes off Nami's panties with his teeth._ (If anyone's story mirrors the example I just gave, please forgive me in advance, I did not mean to insult you/it directly, it was just a made-up example for me) That, and I simply _adore_ writing Luffy and Nami together. Her commanding, slightly sexual personality and his 'virgin' willing innocence are a wonderful combination in my opinion, and I try my hardest to capture that in their 'scenes'. But anyways, I've thought a lot on the plot when I wasn't writing, and I think I know where I'm going to take it. Of course it's up to you, Constant Reader, to decide if you want to follow me. 

PS: You already know (or at least I'd hope you know, if you don't then you haven't been actually reading this, have you?) two of the couples I'm promoting in this fanfiction, ZoroxRobin and NamixLuffy, but the implication made in this chapter of a third, TashigixSanji, is a smokescreen. I do not intend on making those two a pairing, but merely showing them interacting in a way that changes the characters subtly, since keeping it in canon throughout the entire story isn't in my interest. Like I said in the author's note, if you want One Piece as it is go watch it, don't expect me to write it out for you. That's what the manga is for, silly. _  
_


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